


Synthetic Soul

by ShippingsandDeamons



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Big Brother Sans, Character Death, Dadster, M/M, Past war memories, Poisoning, Stress, Todler paps, i am so not sorry, monster/human hybrid, still born, thank god Grillby's here, there are a few Oc's
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-08-11
Updated: 2017-06-24
Packaged: 2018-08-08 05:09:34
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 69
Words: 86,745
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7744552
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ShippingsandDeamons/pseuds/ShippingsandDeamons
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Being the Royal Scientist wasn't an easy task, especially when the king has charged you with the task of finding a way to break the barrier keeping you and everyone else trapped. So when a way to break the barrier suddenly appears in the form of an artificially made human soul, what is the right choice to make? Dr. W.D. Gaster made his choice, now it's time to live with it.<br/>An old foe from the war between humans and monsters has resurfaced, and his feelings for both haven't changed for the better, but neither has he. Thankfully, some old Friends of Gaster's had also entered the fray. Also, who's the mysterious kid that can use skeleton attack magic?<br/>A fanfic inspired by "Home grown", but many things are different. I'll be adding tags as needed as things progress.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

It was the same ‘place’ as before. The same empty, desolate space where not even light existed. There was no way to tell up from down, or left from right, other than from the place you were standing. If there were a floor and ceiling to this place, they were discernable from each other.

Like always he waited, and like always, they came.

Looking up from his hands that rested tensely on his lap were the outlines of faces so familiar, it would take a miracle to forget. Each of the four outlines had their own distinct silhouette and color, and each one was of a human child. And then, all at once the children were gone, and standing in their places were adults, each keeping the color the child that once stood there had.

“Stop this!” He cried.

They didn’t respond, they never responded. They didn’t even meet his eyes, theirs always veiled by shadows of hair.

He was no longer in the empty space. Now he stood on a battlefield, monsters and humans fighting on all sides of him. Standing before him, no longer just an outline, was one of the four. Shadows were splayed across the top half of their face, hiding their eyes from his.

“Please, stop!” He pleaded despairingly. “I don’t want to fight!”

It was a vain attempt, but it never worked.

The human raised an arm unhesitantly. He watched as scarlet light gathered in a sphere in the center of their palm. Then that sphere of scarlet light was hurtling towards him, just barely stopped in time by a glowing shield of purple. He shivered, knowing what came next, anticipating their next move with sorrow laced anxiety. Theirs raised both hands, palms positioned just inches apart. Within a heartbeat, a glowing dot of crimson formed. It started small, but all too quickly grew as they moved their hands farther apart. He raised his barrier up once more, but it never stopped the backlash. Pain seared into his entire body, marrow deep.

 

Gaster woke with a start, head still resting in the crook of his folded arms. He was alone in the lab, not another soul to be found. That still didn’t help chase away the lingering panic any faster. Not that having someone did either. At least alone, no one got to see him like this; an anxious, shivering mess.

“It was only a dream, nothing more.” He thought.

The scientist dubbed his bleary eyesockets with the arm of one sleeve. Despite just waking up, he didn’t feel very rested. He felt even more tired than he had before dozing off.

“The war ended decades ago, so why do these blasted memories still insist on haunting me?” He griped.

He already knew the answer, but didn’t feel like admitting it to himself this time. One finger came to trace the crack on the right side of his face, running from the bottom of his eyesocket to the top corner of his mouth. The left side of his face wasn’t much better, a partner cracks from the top of his left eye up. They no longer hurt, but they were still grim reminders none the less. As were the holes in the center of both his hands. 

“I shouldn’t dwell on the past, Gillby’ll have my tail if I do.” He mused in light humor.

Glancing at the clock, he balked at how late it had become. He must have lost track of time working, because he knew he hadn’t been napping for very long, he be even more exhausted if he had. He needed to get home, Sans and Papyrus would be getting hungry soon. And hungry kids was a recipe for a kitchen disaster.

Gaster got up and gather up all the papers strewn hazardously across his desk and began dividing them up into two piles. One pile he shoved into a drawer, the other was tossed into a bin on his way out. At least it wouldn’t take him long to get home.  
Flippinto off the lights, He teleported from his lab/office in the center of the hotlands to his home located near the outskirts of the capital. Opening the door, he was greeted by blue blur tackling into him, nearly knocking him backward.  
“Hello to you too, Sans,” Gaster said with a chuckle. His eldest son looked up at him with wide eyesockets and his usual large grin.

“Dad’s home, Dad’s home!” He cheered.

Papyrus made a little noise of agreement from his place sitting by the living room entrance.

“Yes, yes, it’s good to see the two of you too, now let's get inside so I can make dinner. Because unless Grillby stopped by or one of you two miraculously learned to cook, neither of you two should have eaten since lunch.”

“Tebi-a honest, I’m pretty sure the kitchen wouldn’t survive another round.” Sans said with a pun.

Gaster rolled his eyes endearingly as Papyrus made angry baby noises in protest to his brother’s humor. Their youngest didn’t take to well to his brother’s comedic habits most of the time, where as he could at least tolerate his eldest son’s antics. Most of the time.

“I would love to learn where he got that sense of humor from, but that may remain a mystery until the end of time.” Gaster thought.

 

“Sans, you and your brother will be spending tomorrow and most likely a chunk of the following day at Grillby’s, I’m going to be working late.” Gaster informed them from his spot in the kitchen.

He’d decided to make them Sans’s favorite; pasta, and was in the middle of boiling the noodles.

“I want you to collect everything you think the two of you will need and put it in your backpack, okay?”

There was no reply for a pause.

And then an “Okay Dad, I will.” From Sans.

Gaster let out a happy sight. His job as the royal scientist wasn’t an easy one. Being tasked with finding a way to free all of monster kind from their underground prison, and by the king of monsters himself, was no easy task. It was hard when the hopes of everyone rested squarely on your research. If it hadn't been for his dear friend Grillby and his beloved sons, He might have bent and caved in under the daunting pressure a long time ago.

“I’m very fortunate.” He thought with a smile.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> More memory dreams and what not. Also, parent mode dadster and Grillby makes his first appearance (yay!).

“Gaster, Hurry- you’re lagging behind!” One of the kids a head of him called.

There was only a relatively short distance between them and him, but no matter how fast he ran, they remained just that far a head, always out of reach. All he wanted to do was catch up with his friends.

“Wait up, please!” He called back.

No response. Instead, the four continued to look back at him as they ran, beckoning encouragement for him to catch up to them. And still, the distance between them persisted.

Stumbling over a miss step, he managed to not fall forward, but he did have to slow down. His next step had him stepping in an unseen puddle with an audible splash. He didn’t recall seeing a puddle before.

“A puddle, that hadn’t been there before.” He questioned, looking down.

His boot was smack in the middle of a large puddle of crimson, flecks of dust floated on the surface like sugar in coffee. His reflection stared back at him, terrified and anxious.

“I’m sorry, Gaster.”

He spun around, only to face to face with one of his friends. Their face was angled down, just enough to hid their eyes behind soft brown locks of hair and shadows. Their expression was a tight grimace of pain and hesitance. They wanted to be here as much as he did.

“Neither of us wants to do this, so please stand down.” He pleaded. “I know why you’re doing this, but surely there must be another way.”

They raised their head to look at him, regret plain to see in their dawn orange eyes. Their lips were twitched into a bitter smile.

“Unfortunately, there isn’t, as much as we wish there was. I’m sorry.” They said, charging towards him.

They drew back a leather gloved fist, hand cloaked in a soft teal glow. They were prepared to do what they had to, no matter what the personal cost was. It was hard not to respect that brand of determination.

“Goodbye, old friend.”

 

“No!” Gaster cried.

Now awake, he was no longer on a bloody and dusty battle field under a scorching sun on the surface, but in his home within the capital underground. One hand was outstretched, reaching for something not there, someone long gone decades ago. The other arm was bracing him up. He could feel the cold sweat that had formed on his bones, chilling what ever wasn’t covered by the blankets.

“It was just a dream.” He reminded himself carefully. “The war ended long ago.”

Despite his best efforts, tears began to form with human persistence. A few pale purplish tears slid down his cheek bones to plop silently onto the blanket over his legs. Wapping away the remaining tears, he glanced at the clock that rested on his bedside stand. It was a quarter to 3 in the morning. He had almost 2 hours before the alarm was supposed to wake him to get ready for work, and another hour after that before he needed to wake his still slumbering sons.

Gaster let out a weary sigh. There was no way he was going to be able to fall back asleep, not after that trip down memory ‘lane’. He ended up laying in bed for the remaining 2 hours before being created by the jolting chime of the clock’s alarm. He pressed the stop button harder than necessary as he got out of bed.

Hopefully, he’d manage to get through the day without dozing off too often. As he was changing into proper clothes for the day, he grabbed a sweater without looking and paused when he did. It was brown. Memories welled up from their place in the back corner of his mind, memories from well before the war, memories of better, happier times. Brushing them bech into their corner, he pulled the sweater over his head.

 

“Boys, get up!” Gaster called from down the stairs. “It’s time to get ready for the day, I’m almost done with breakfast!”

No response. From sans that was normal, Papyrus not so much. He let out a sigh and moved an divided a pan of scrambled eggs into three portions. Turing the stove off, he walked over to the stairs to go wake his sons.  


Papyrus stared at him innocently from his seat in the toddler's crib. Sans, on the other hand, was as motionless as a rock. Time to get parent mode serious.

First, he yanked the blanket off of Sans and let it fall in a heap to the floor. Chuckling as his eldest began to flop about like a fish out of water, he grabbed his youngest and left to go back down to the kitchen and finish preparing breakfast.

 

“I don’t know when I’ll be by to pick the both of you up, but If I’m not over by 10, assume I won't be over until sometime in the evening.” Gaster said, grabbing a shoulder satchel of papyrus’s supplies.” I’ll have the rest of the day, and even the day after, off, so maybe think about family activities while I’m working.”

“Okay.” Sans said.

As soon as everyone was out the door he locked it and took Sans’ hand and teleported. Arriving at Grillby’s front door, he let go of the hand to give the door a brisk set of knocks. Soon after it was answered.

Hello Gaster,” The fire monster greeted.

“Hello, dear Friend.” Gaster responded. “I’m in a bit of a hurry, so I’ll see you when I see you.”

Handing Papyrus and the back over to Grillby, he bent over to give Sans a quick hug.

“Be a good bye for Grillby.” He reminded him.

“I will, see you later.” His son replied.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hooray for things blowing up in one's face, and concerned Grillby.

Gaster scanned over the paper’s he hadn’t scrapped last night. He reached over and grabbed a few sheets of blank paper and began scribbling words and numbers down. When he first began, he’d decided the only way to understand the barrier was to understand what had created and was maintaining it; human souls. Scattered papers covered on both sides with equations and formulas covered his desk, each containing several possible ways to forge a human soul.

Mixing chemicals of varying reactivity together with magic had become a routine at this point. Still, he was no closer to understanding humans souls than he had been when he’d started. Nor was he any closer to finding a solution to the problem at hand.

“Please don’t blow up in my face.” He prayed.

The mixture sparked once, then twice before fizzling out. It hadn’t exploded like so many others before had, but it was also another failure. Grabbing a fresh beaker, he set the used one aside with a few others, the contents of all of them would be properly disposed of later when he took a break.

In the middle of adding two dangerously reactive chemicals together with a mildly reactive compose in the beaker, the lab door swung open with a deafening ‘bang’, nearly sending one of the chemicals flying.

“Dr. Gaster, we've got a situation that requires your attention immediately!” A yellow drake monster almost shouted.

“Edna!” Gaster hissed. “You nearly scared me half to death! And I’ve told you not to swing open the door so violently!”

Gaster wall all but seething, to say the least. Edna gave him an unamused, uncaring look. “I’m sorry, but it’s an emergency, so please come quickly.” She said, running back out the door.

Gaster sighed and followed in suite.

“Someone snuck in last night and tampered with the labels on several chemicals, because of this ‘pranke’, Dr. Kida’s experiment had a violent reaction,” Edna explained as she guided him down the winding, twisting, and crossing hallways

“What! Has anyone else had a problem like this?!” He demanded, panicking.

“Dr. Harel mentioned something about the kitchen equipment being mislabeled, and I think Jurra said something about clipboards on certain machines being swapped,” Edna responded.

Gaster let out a sigh of relief, at least nothing else had occurred. Still, this little joke was quickly becoming more and more unfunny. The relief he once had quickly drained away once he caught the scent of fumes. The burning room quickly came into view.

“Good God, what in the world did Kida mix together?” He asked in disbelief.

“Who knows, it’ll be impossible to find out until we put the fire out,” Edna said.

The two, with the aid of several others, managed to use magic to keep the flames managed and contained until the janitor arrived with a fire extinguisher to killed the flames. All that remained was scorched equipment and the smell of smoke and spoiled milk. The lab didn’t look too bad, all things considered. And no one had been hurt by either the flames, nor the initial explosion.

“Finally we got the situation dealt with,” Edna said in relief. “Now there shouldn’t be accidents like this for a while.

“Good, make sure to let the king know about this and what you told me earlier, well need in upgrade security soon,” Gaster replied, turning to return to his lab and office. “We need to make sure this doesn’t happen again, we were lucky this time, next time we might not be as fortunate.”

 

Waving magic into the mix, Gaster observed the reaction with a held breath. The solution began turning a vibrant navy blue color.

“Easy now,” He murmured, adding a few drops into the mix.

The mixture hissed, began bubbling, and finally took on an ash colored hue. Another failure. Sighing he reached over to grab a new beaker, but froze when a loud hissing noise invaded his ears. The so called failed mixture was frothing and was now a pulsing dark blue. His soul sank.

“Oh Crap!” He thought as it exploded, sending liquid and glass his way.

The substance splashed primarily against his ribs and arms, but a bit if it did manage to hit a cheek bone from behind his arms. It burned like hydrochloric acid, despite not eating away as his bones and clothes. All he could do was let out a sharp cry as he crumpled over and slid off of his desk to the floor. 

 

Bright red and oranges invaded the inky black of his vision from behind closed eyes. Letting out a groan, the royal scientist finally won the grueling battle called “opening his eyes”. Even his he was unable to keep them open for more than a second at a time, and unable to open farther than a squint.

“I think he’s finally coming too.” A distant, familiar voice said.

“Finally! I was starting to think he’d fallen down.” Another responded.

“Daddy?” A quivering, yet very familiar voice, inquired hesitantly. The question was followed by soft babbling close by.

Gaster managed to keep an eye open for more than a second and took in his surroundings. Edna and Grillby were off to the left, talking to each other, he was certain they weren’t aware he was conscious now. Sans was at his side, holding his baby brother in his arms. The pair was giving him the most terrified and worried looks he’d ever seen on their young faces.

“Poor children.” He thought.

“I’m alright Sans, Papyrus.” He croaked. “Just on the receiving end of a tasteless prank.”

That caught the two adults attention.

“Prank? That’s one way of putting it.” Grillby muttered, clearly unamused.

Ignoring the comment Gaster continued.

“Come here you two, I’m alright now.” He said, beckoning them. “Minus the pain in my bones.” He thought.

Sans wasted no time in placing Papyrus on one side of him before darting around and curling up on his other side.

“I’ll go message the king, He’ll be glad to hear you’re finally awake,” Edna said. “You’ll be sent how as soon as he gives me the okay.”

He watched as she slipped off to go make a call, leaving the four of them alone in what he now was certain was the infirmary.

“Grillby, how long was I out?” Gaster asked.

“About 36 hours, give or take when they found you.” The fire elemental replied.

“…what?”


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The good doctor is finally back in the lab, and apparently is not good about keeping things from blowing up in his face.

Returning home was the easy part, despite not being able to teleport- Edna’s orders. No, the hard part was the near constant ache in his bones and the persistent feeling of being drained, both physically and magically. There was also the random episodes of near vomit inducing pain, but he’d kept quiet about that, he’d written it off as a part of the healing process.

It worked out, though. Through the two weeks it took to recover he managed to actually get some sleep, he was too drained to dream most nights. Sans and Papyrus, mostly Sans, were hesitant to interact with their father, fearing that they might end up hurting him even more. But after a few days of rest, and his insistence that he’d recovered from worse- the cracks in his skull were proof of that- they stopped treating as a fragile thing.

Grillby had also inserted himself in as a constant presence for the duration of the two weeks. He was there to make sure the royal scientist never exerted himself and provided proper meals for everyone. And he somehow managed to also juggle his duties at work.

 

“Hopefully some of this is salvageable- those papers were important.” Gaster said.

“Half of them blew up in your face, that last one was no exception.” Edna replied dryly.

He snorted.

A few days ago the yellow drake monster had been kind enough to inform him that none of his things had been tampered with. And other than the King, everyone else was none the wiser about this. Gaster was very thankful Edna’d kept quiet about it, if Grillby knew he’d never hear the end of it.

“Still, it’s baffling how that last one did so much damage.” He pointed out.” “The others did nothing more than leave me drenched and in need of replacing a beaker or graduated cylinder.”

Edna shrugged. “Anyhow, please be more careful, I have no intention of being the one to tell not only your family, but king Asgore himself that you managed to dust yourself.”

The look she gave him was not her usual happy one, she was dead serious about this.

“I know, the looks I received from not only Grillby, but my sons as well was more than enough of a guilt trip. The only reason Grillby didn’t chew me out for this is that he thought I’d been on the receiving end of some monster youth’s idea of a practical joke.” He muttered darkly. Heck, even Asgore’s been pointing out my bad track record recently, I don’t need another accident. Trust me.”

Edna chuckled. Everyone knew that the moment king fluffybuns himself started pointing out how bad it was, then you knew it was bad.

“How have your kids been doing anyhow?” She inquired. “Papyrus is too young to really be affected by this, but Sans is a different story.”

“They are both doing well. Papyrus is advancing in talking every day, and Sans has finally calmed down somewhat.” He replied. “Speaking of which, how’s Alphys been?”

“She’s doing well, lately she’s been spending most of her day over at the blook family farm.” Edna answered with a hit of joy. “I’m glad she’s spending time with other people, this should really be a confidence booster for her.”

Gaster nodded. The two continued to chat over small topics as they walked down the labs' hallways.

Arriving at the door to his office, the two exchanged parting farewells.

“We really should arrange a play date sometime.” Gaster said. “It would give both our children a chance to interact with people in their own age group.”

“That’s a splendid idea, I’m sure Alpphys and Sans would get along.” Edna agreed. “Take care, and be careful with your experimenting!”

He made a clicking sound in response as she made her way down the hall.

 

“He plan’s to cast a spell to eradicate your people, with the power of seven human souls to do so.” They explained sadly. “He had the mage council on his side, so we can’t stop the casting. To save you monsters, the four of us plan on being there to help, that way the genocide of an entire race never comes to pass.”

“But if you all do that then you’ll all-“

“We are all well aware of the consequences, but for you and your people, we are more than willing to do so. What he's doing is wrong, so we can’t sit by and watch. It’s unfortunate that we couldn’t find a way to end this war in a more peaceful manner.”

He reached out to place a comforting hand on their shoulder. They stepped back before he could do so. Resolve was blinding in their eyes, even through the tears that wanted to form.

“Sorry we had to do this, but there was no way he’d let us participate otherwise, we aren’t expecting forgiveness, we’ll understand if you hate us.”

“Hate you?! That’s insanity’s thinking- you are all my friends, my dear beloved friends who I would rather fall down and turn to dust before hating even one of you.”

Tears were fall down his cheekbones at this point. He could see a relieved smile on their face, as though a burden had been lifted from their war weary shoulders.

“It is reassuring to hear those words from you, thank you. One day your people will return to the surface, and maybe when all is said and done, a day will come when we can all see each other again.

 

Gaster shook his head, chasing memories and lingering thoughts away. Ever sense Asgore has assigned him to the task of discovering a way to break the barrier, those old memories had been returning infrequently.

“Is it because I know their souls created and continue to sustain the barrier, or is it from a deeper reason?” He wondered.

He collected thing by hand, no longer haveing any magic to do anything else. He’d grown used to it while recovering. He gasped and doubled over to his knees as a pain stabbed its way into his soul, stealing his breath and leaving him ready to topple over onto the floor at any moment. Finally, after a few seconds of the soul stopping the pain, it faded away, leaving him gasping and trembling.

“I’ve made a mostly full recovery, so why does this keep happening?” He questioned.

The exhaustion and lack of magic energy could be chalked up to him still recovering, but the episodes of pain couldn’t be reasoned away, nor did it have an explanation.

Collecting that last remaining few papers from off of the floor, he found that a decent amount of them were still in good shape. Those that had been obliterated beyond use were tossed into the trash. Sitting down, he pulled out a stack of fresh paper and a pen. He began jotting down more equations and possible formulas for a time when he could use magic again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You'll come to love Edna in later chapters when we see more of her.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Happy children and old memories that end up making you sad. Also protective Grillby.

Now nearly half a month after the accident and the episodes of pain never went away. Instead, they’d become a daily occurrence at their most infrequent. The physical exhaustion never subsided either, nor did the fact he was magically drained practically all of the time. After years of being the royal scientist, he was durable enough to find a way to cope and continue his duties.

The pain was easy enough to hide, the episodes generally tended to happen while he was at work alone. Semi-periodic naps help to curb the exhaustion to a bearable level. The one thing he couldn’t hide was his lack of magic. For whatever reason his body was just ‘eating’ it up, leaving him ‘depleated’ nearly always. Even when he did have the energy for magic, he didn’t have enough to do anything complicated, nor for very long.

This left his experiments at a standstill, because magic was required. And because of either pride or irrational paranoia, he refused to ask for help. This left him in a rut, a rut that he’d only get out of either when his magic returned, or he got over it and asked for help.

 

“I don’t want to get up… but if I don’t then I’m going to have two energetic kids storming in here and forcing me out of bed.” He grumbled.

And the moment his sons stormed in here, they would not take no for an answer. Lovely. With a sigh, the skeleton heaved himself up and out of bed. And not a moment too late.

“Dad!Dad!Dad! Are you up yet?” Sans called from his and his brothers' room down the hall.

“Yes, I’m up. Let me get dressed and then we can go.” He called back.

Stumbling over to his dresser, he changed into a clean white sweater and black sweat pants. Finally, he grabbed his coat from its place in the closet and exited his room. Relieving Sans of his brother, then taking his hand, the family made their way out to the Riverperson’s dock.

“Tra la la~ Good morning Dr. Wing Ding.” They greeted in their natural cheerfulness.

“Good morning to you too.” He replied.

He stepped onto the boat first, than helped sans on board before taking a seat, placing Papyrus safely in his lap.

“To Snowdin please.” He said.

“Tra la la~ and we’re off.”

Half way through the hotlands, he managed to doze off, and no one bothered to wake him for the duration of the trip.

“Daha, up!” Papyrus demanded.

This managed to get his father up.

“Hu? A- oh, sorry Papy.” Gaster said, getting up. “I must have fallen asleep.”

Gaster helped Sans onto the dock first before stepping off himself.

“Thank you for the lift.” He said.

“Tra la la~ you welcome, see you another time.” The responded, sailing down the river.

“Alright, Grilbby’s house shouldn’t be too far from here, let’s go.” Gaster said.

“Griwby!” Papyrus cried cheerfully.

The snow had already been cleared of deep snow and packed down by the locals as they made their daily commute. This made the walk to Grillby’s quickly and easy. Gaster let a very eager Papyrus pound a few times on the door in his stead. Moments later The door was open and Grilbby was ushing them inside. 

“I’ve already set the toys out, so they boys can jump right in whenever they’re ready.” Grillby said.

He handed Sans his younger brother and watch as the two darted into the living room, ready to cause a havoc as they played. Bothering to hang up the coats first, he soon followed after. Gaster sat down on the couch and watched his sons play. Sans would pile colorful wooden blocks together so his brother could push toy figurines though. Eventually, his eyelids became weighted and lost to sleep

 

“Woah! I didn’t know you could do that with blue magic.” One of them cried in awe, stars practically in his eyes.

“Do me next!” Another demanded, grinning.

Oh hush, it’s Gaster’s choice who he levitates next.” Someone else chided. “We can’t force him to do anything he doesn’t want to do.”

Gast blushed in embarrassment and buried his face in the collar of his coat. He could just see the smiles on their faces.

“Good going, you we've gone and scared him off.” They said in a joking serious tone.

“Hey, don’t blame us, we did nothing wrong!” One of the first two retaliated, snorting in amusement. “Maybe you’re the one who scared him off.”

“I’m not scared, I’m embarrassed!” Gaster mumbled in protest. The four giggled or laughed respectively.

Finally, one of them put their hand on his back and began rubbing circles to comfort him.

“It’s okay, come out when you’re ready, we can wait.” They said in their soft tone.

 

When he came to, he could feel the dampness around his eyes and on his cheeks, he didn’t need a mirror to know what was happening. Sitting up, he wiped his face on one sleeve and sighed. Happy memories always seemed to do that to him.

“It was just a dream.” He thought.

Gaster noticed he was not on the couch anymore. Instead, he’d been tucked into a bed with blankets pulled up to his nasal cavity. A glance at the bedside clock told him that it was getting late, he’d been out for a while. Getting up, he made his way to the living room, to find that it now looked like a storm had been through it. Toys were scattered everywhere, making it impossible for someone to casually walk through. Sans and Papyrus were passed out on the couch, a blanket pulled over them.

“Look who’s finally awake.” A voice behind him mused slyly.

“Yes Grillby, thank you for the obvious.” He replied dryly, turning around.

Grillby Shrugged.

“The boys get tired of the toys half way through your nap, so I let them tire themselves out playing in the snow, they fell asleep not too long ago.” He explained.

Gaster gave the fire monster a thankful nod. “Thanks, and sorry I fell asleep. You didn’t have to move me to your room, I would have been fine on the couch.”

“It’s wasn’t a problem, you’ve been so tired lately I decided to move you to a place where you could actually get some sleep.” The elemental responded. “Come help me make dinner, they should be up by then.”

He nodded and followed Grillby into the kitchen. The fire elemental walked over to the fridge to gather the necessitates for tonight supper. Gaster walked over to a cupboard to grab plates. As he reached up, a familiar pain shot through his ribs and forced him to his knees. Grillby ran over and dropped to his knees. Gaster had the material of his sweater in a death grip as he struggled to breathe. This episode of pain was lasting longer than the others, but they had been slowly growing in time duration.

Grillby set his hands gently on his friend's shoulds and guided the ailing skeleton to his chest, closely hugging him until the pain subsided and he wasn’t gasping for air. Gaster couldn’t do much more than slump into the embrace, he was just too drained and the renewed energy from his nap was long gone. 

Finally, when it seemed Gaster would kneel upright, Grillby nudged him away and started the skeleton in the eye, hands still on his shoulders.

“Gaster, what in Asgore’s name was that?” The elemental asked, voice the picture of calm. That was a clear sign that he wasn’t happy with his friend.

“It’s nothing, just an episode of pain- I’ve been dealing with them periodically sense after the accident.” He said before he could stop himself from saying too much. He could feel a shiver run down his spine as Grillby’s expression changed from worry to anger.  
He dun goofed up real bad.

Grillby was silent for a moment.

“Gaster, see a doctor.” He said, using that tone of voice that meant it wasn’t a suggestion.

“Grillby, I’m-“

“Zip it Wing Ding, it’s been over half a month since that accident, you’ve been exhausted and unable to use magic almost constantly- Edna told me. And now you’re telling me this has been happening too, and periodically to boot. No arguments, you are seeing a doctor, and I will talk Asgore about this if you don’t.”

Gaster let out a defeated sigh. He wasn’t getting out of this one, the last thing he needed was Asgore finding out about his condition and barring him from the lab.

“I give.” He said.

Getting up was a challenge, his legs felt like jelly and refused to stop shaking beneath him. Thankfully Grillby was there to help lift him up. Resting his hands on the counter, he waited until his legs settled.

“I’m going to go wash my face.” He muttered, leaving.

 

Stepping into the smallish room from the hallway, he locked the room and started over that his reflection in the mirror. He couldn’t help but snort.

“Gods, I look terrible, no wonder Grillby’s being so hard on me.” He thought half amused.

Placing a hand on his chest, his focused, breathing in a meditative even, willing his soul to manifest. First came the outline, at a glance, that much was fine, no cracks or any sort of damage. It was when the rest of his soul manifested did he notice something off. There were no cracks or blemishes, it was a silver-white spade oriented heart. Peering within the pale coloring, he noticed something that shouldn’t have been there, that shouldn’t have been possible. It was a heart like his, only the tip was facing down, not up, and was a deep shade of dark blue.

A human soul, pulsing with a vibrant blue like in tempo with his.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Last bit can be summarized as this: Angry and concerned fire noises.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As if having two kids is bad enough, now you've gone and created a third one, and it just so happens to be human.

It didn’t fully register at first, just what he was seeing. But when it finally did, the panic hit him full force like a tidal wave. He now had an explanation for all the post-recovery issues he’d been having.

“W-what in the world? I’m dreaming, or going crazy- there’s no way this is real, it’s just not possible.” He tried to reason mentally.

The soul did not go away, no matter home much he tried to reason it away. He wasn't dreaming, he did, in fact, some how create a human soul complete with determination. The soul soon became aware of his gaze, and frantically began darting around the confines of his soul for a place to hide. Either it hadn't realized that he was the owner of the soul it resided in, or it was terrified he’d act negatively on this new information.

Before he could do anything to calm the little heart, pain tore its way into him, burning at the core of his very soul. Drops of purple and blue flashed before his eyes as he watched in pain laced shock as his body began attacking in a vain attempt to get rid of the source of dangerous determination. Answer clicked into place the second the pain ebbed away, letting him actually think.

“Of course, determination can be harmful to a monster, by body’s been cleansing itself of the stuff for as long as the soul’s been there.” He realized.

His body trembled under the weight of all this new knowledge. He hadn’t actually intended to create a soul, just find out how one could be made. Peering closer and the now static blue heart he could see a pale line of silver connecting his soul to it.  
“Even if it is a human’s soul, even they can dissipate without the proper connection to maintain them.” He mused, observing his tiny creation.

The soul was no longer frightened of him, whether because it now recognized him as it’s host and creator, or for another reason entirely, he was unsure. Fear had been replaced with innocent curiosity as it began moving about his soul once more, this time parading itself about like a child exploring a new space for the first time. A feeling, warm and gentle, of parental love washed over him as he watched the little soul move about, it was the same feeling he got whenever watching his sons play around. A smile came to his face.

“Heh, you are my creation- my child, I have no solid reason not to care about you like a parent should.” He thought.

The first thing he needed to do was resolve the issue of his body attacking the soul.

“Gaster, you alright in there?” Grillby asked, knocking a few times at the door.

The reminded him that he wasn’t alone at home or in his lab, but at Grillby’s place, with at least three other people just down the hall. And that it was just about dinner time. He’d have to resolve the issue another time.

“I’ll be out in a moment.” He responded, willing his voice to remain calm. He needed to keep this a secret.

De-materializing his soul, he made a mental reminder to tackle the problem at a later date when he had more privacy. Unlocking the door, he was mildly surprised to find the fire monster still standing there.

“Sans and Papyrus woke up, the knowledge you're awake.” He said.

“Okay, thanks for letting me know.” He replied, giving his friend a small smile.

He couldn’t let anyone know about the soul, if Asgore or Teriel found out, they might try and have another absorb it to cross the barrier. The thought of the little spark ripped from him before it could even be technically born made him shiver, he refused to let anyone kill of his newest child. The little soul shuddered, picking up on his worries and fears.

“There, there,” He mental comforted. “I’m not going to let anything bad happen to you.”

The soul instantly relaxed. Whether it had picked up on his emotions, or actually heard and understood him was a question to chase for another time. Still, he smiled a bit. Then remembered that Grillby had forced him to see a doctor as soon as possible.  
There was no way he was willing to risk it. Now how was he going to get himself out of this one?

 

Jotting down a quick, brief note for Sans, he pinned it to the fridge with a black magnet. Grabbing his coat from off one of the chair, he hurried out the door, locking it behind him as he went. He’d have to walk to the lab, he still didn’t have any magic. As he walked he could feel the soul stir as if waking up from sleep.

“Good morning little one.” He thought, smiling.

‘Morning’

He nearly came to a halt. He hadn’t heard it so much as felt what the soul had said. So it could understand him, interesting.

“Is it because you were made through artificial means I wonder.”

Thankfully he hadn't had an episode yet, lucky him.

Entering into hotland, he could see the core out in the distance. The giant mechanical sphere that rested above the sea of magma, converting the stifling heat into magical energy to power the growing population of the underground. It was one of the first things he’d invented as the Royal scientist.

Nearing the large white building, the bolded red letters that spelled out ‘LAB’ above the door, a jolt of relief washed over him. Despite being just bones, the heat was still very uncomfortable. It was the reason he missed teleporting. Hurrying into the cool interior, he ran down the halls to his office lab. Being both sound proof and lockable, it made the perfect place to do what he needed.

“Alright, I have an hour at most before the early people arrive, time to get this over with.” He thought, manifesting his soul.

 

An hour later, someone knocked on his door.

“Doctor, are you in there?” Enda asked.

“Yes, give me a quick moment.” He answered, unlocking the door.

Edna gave him a stagnant look.

“Grillby informed me of the conversation you two had last night, and asked me to make sure you saw a physician if you haven't already.” She said sternly. “I am personally disappointed in you for keeping something like that a secret from me.”

If he said he hadn’t, there was no way he’d be getting out of it. Despite being her boss, when Edna put her foot down and demanded he does something, he did it. Time to lie his way out of it.

“I did see a physician before I came here.” He bluffed, hoping his voice hadn’t wavered. “And I’m sorry I didn’t tell you about the pain.”

Edna raised an eyebrow, skeptical. “And did they find out what’s wrong?” She asked.

“My body believed that my soul had sustained damage from the accident and was burning through my magic energy to repair it, they’ve already helped me execute a method the should resolve the problem.” He fibbed. It was the best explanation he could think of.

Edna eyed him carefully with her scrutinous gaze. For a moment he thought she’d seen through his lie and was going to call him out, demanding the truth.

“Alright, it sounds like you’ve got everything under control, so I’ll ease off.” She said finally. Then she gave him another serious look. “But, Gaster, I am ready and willing to ship you home if I feel I must.” She said in her ‘I am serious and will follow through on it’ tone of voice.

“Understood.” He replied, just barely holding back a stutter.

“Good.” She responded, turning to leave. “Also, I mentioned our plan for a play date to Lazura the other day, she asked if it’d be alright if she joined in with Undyn.”

“As long as Undyn doesn’t get too rough with Sans and Papyrus, I’m alright with it.” He said.

When the door clicked shut behind her, he let out a breath. He hadn’t realized he’d been holding on in the first place.

“The woman is terrifying when she wants to be.” He mused.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The soul isn't frisk, it's an Oc that you'll all learn more about in later chapters. Edna = that one mom friend everyone needs in their life.


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Parent talk and science talk, plus kids being kids and getting into trouble.

“Hey Punk, get back here!” Undyn shouted as she chased after a fast scooting Papyrus.

Meanwhile, off to the side and out of the way, Sans and Alphys were immersed in what looked like a collaboration of Sans using his blue magic to make things float as Alphys gave him directions on how he should move them.All four of them seemed to be having a lot of fun. The adults were off in a corner talking about different topics, periodically glancing at the children to make sure an accident didn’t occur.

“So Dings, how’s your research on souls going? You any closer to finding a way to break the barrier?” Lazura asked, resting her chin on one hand.

The red and orange fish monster, Lazura, was a sentry in waterfall as well as the wife to Coblose; captain of the royal guard. She was always ready to spring into action, magic spear poised at the throat of whoever her opponent was. Something her daughter had inherited. Though she wasn’t too interested in science.

“Hmm, well despite the little set back I had three months ago things have been progressing well. I haven’t made any real headway, I don’t have a human soul to compare ours to after all.” He replied. “I do hope that if a human does fall down here, Asgore will let me study its soul before it’s absorbed.”

Lazura let out a belting laugh, the type that came from the gut and bellowed like a bell.

“Let’s hope he does, maybe the barrier has some clue.” She said. “And how about you my dear yellow friend, what have you been researching lately?”

“I’ve been looking into expanding the underground, per the kings' request,” Edna answered. “Now that we have power thanks to Gaster, and a functioning agriculture system, the monster population has been growing.”

“Oh? And how has that gone?”

“Slow, right now we’re identifying walls that we can tunnel into. We have found one that hopefully by next month we can begin tunneling into.”

“Heh, I wish you the best of luck.”

Gaster decided not to enter the conversation, letting the two delve deeper into the topic of expansion and forget about everything else. Someone did have to keep an eye on the kids after all. 

“They all look so happy.” He thought.

As he watched them play, a fantasy crept into his mind. A human toddler playing with an older version of Sans and Papyrus. A melancholy joy followed with. He attempted several times to create a body for his synthetic soul, but each attempt was met with failure. He’d concluded that a fully monster body could not contain a human soul, it was just too different. Crestfallen, he’d come to realize that the boy would have to be at least half human to contain the soul, but he had no way of doing so unless a human somehow fell into the underground.

Pulling free of his musings. Gaster noticed Papyrus and Undyn were no longer running around, in fact, he didn’t see them anywhere. Turning to the bookshelf, his heart sank as he saw the pair climbing up it, and Undyn was losing her grip.  
Acting quickly, he stood up and grabbed both of them with his magic and set them back down on the ground, eyes ablaze with purple light. Edna and Lazura were yanked from their conversation by his sudden movement and raised hand.

“Crud, Undyn, Papyrus!” Lazura snapped, bolting over to the two. “I’ve told you no climbing up furniture- that’s what slides are for!”

He let out a breath and sank back into his chair, thanking the stars above that he’d reacted in time. Undyn might have come out with nothing worse than a broken arm, but Papyrus wasn’t as durable in his young age.

‘?’

“It’s alright, little one, it was just your brother and another doing something dangerous.” He explained.

‘Brother… alright?’

“Yes, your brother is alright, I caught them both.”

Satisfied with his answer, the soul returned to its nap like state.

“Thank Asgore than one of us had an eye on them- that could have ended up a disaster,” Lazura said, returning to her chair. Edna and he nodded in agreement.

Papyrus and Undyn ended up join Alphys and Sans in a game of hide and seek, Undyn had been chosen as the Seeker. With her eyes hidden behind her hands, she waited to a verbal count of ten before running off to go hunt the others down.

“I’m gonna find all you punks!” She barked, grinning.

A knock at the front door pulled called his attention.

“I’ll get that.” He said, getting up.

Careful to avoid Undyn, he made his way out of the living room. Opening the front door, he was taken aback by a royal guard in black armor standing there. His breathing was hard, as if he’d ran the all the way here from the castle. Despite the armor, his body language was tense.

“Dr. Gaster, the king- scratch that, the King and Queen both request your presence immediately!.” He gasped, his tone urgent.

“Alright, give me a moment.” He said, returning to the living room entrance.

“The King and Queen have just summoned me for something urgent, could one of you drop Sans and Papyrus off at Grillby’s of I’m not back in an hour?” He requested.

Edna nodded. “Sure, will do.”

He gave her a nod and a quick thanks before returning to the royal guard at his door.

“What has happened that has both the king and queen of monsters calling for me?” He asked, putting on his coat.

“Prince Asriel discovered a human while playing in the old capital, they appeared hurt and are currently located at the castle.” The guard explained, no longer so winded.

He froze.

“A human? Go tell his majesty I’ll be there soon, I need to go collect some thing first.” He said

The Guard nodded and ran off in the direction of the castle.

 

First, he teleported to his lab. Grabbing what he needed and carefully placing them in a back.Once he had the necessities, he teleported to the castle. The guards parted as he made his way the Dreemurr’s living quarters. It was clear by the confusion that everyone was in a state of disarray.

“A human did just fall into the underground, and was found by Prince Asriel no less.” He reminded himself.

Arriving in what was essentially a large cottage, he knocked on the door to announce his arrival. The door was answered back Asgore, who ushered him in as soon as he could. The king looked nervous, it was clear in his eyes.

“Asriel found them in the ruins, they were limping when he brought them here,” Asgore explained. “They passed out as soon as we got them inside, they’re still asleep.

He nodded and followed the king as he was led to the prince’s room.

The human was a young child, they couldn’t have been older than Asriel who was 8. They were curled up on the prince’s bed, the kid goat at their side. A few flecks of blood stained their green and yellow sweater, a near identical match to the one Asriel himself had on. A few flecks of blood stained one sleeve, and their brown paints were scratched at the knees.

He placed a hand on their forehead. The child was warm, but not burning. He could easily recall how warm his friends had been to the touch when they were ill. This child was considerably cooler than that. He notices their left ankle was bruised, but a bit of prodding told him it wasn’t broken.

“Do you know what their name is?” He asked, feeling up their bare arm for a pulse.

“Chara.” It was Asriel who answered.

“Are they going to be alright?” The young prince asked, eyes wide with fear.

He didn’t have an answer just yet, so he didn’t respond. He didn’t wish to rais the child’s hopes only to crush them. Using his magic, he scanned their body for signs of any other harm. There were a few other cuts and scrapes, and a somewhat nasty bruise on their right arm, probably from their landing. They were skinnier than he felt was healthy, but other than that their body was fine. Their soul, on the other hand, it was practically oozing with self-hate and raw with pain.

“Poor child.” He thought. They’d endured a lot before falling.

 

“Chara will be fine, nothing is broken and they only received some cuts and bruises. They will require a lot of love and affection, they must have been starved of it on the surface.” He explained.

Some of the worries left Asriel’s eyes as he spoke, the boy gave him a quick nod, then took the human child’s hand in his. He smiled, then an idea popped into his head. This was his chance. He turned to face the doorway, queen Toriel had situated herself there while he’d examined the child.

“Would it be alright if I took a sample of their blood?” He asked. “I’d like to see how their body handles our illnesses on the side of caution.”

She nodded and murmured and ‘”Alright.”

With the aid of Asriel, he withdrew a small sample of their blood and placed it into his bag. He hadn’t lied to the queen, but he hadn't told her all that he planned to do either.

“If anything comes up, I will inform you as immediately as I can.” He promised.

Then gave the child another glance. “If it alright to ask, what are your intentions now that a human has fallen down here?” 

Toriel eyed him carefully, perhaps looking to see what his intentions were.

“We haven’t fully decided yet, we need to talk with them first. But one thing is absolute, I will not permit any harm to befall them.” She said adamantly, the fire in her eyes backed up her words. She was fully prepared to protect them as if they were her own.

After a moment she said something more. “Thank you for your assistance, you are the only monster who knows the most about humans.”

“No thanks needed, my queen.” He said, bowing. “I was happy to be of assistance.

Though the queen, as well as the king and prince, were prepared to make sure no harm before the human, he couldn’t be sure the same would be for his own human souled child. After all, they had no body yet, so it could easily be deemed better to use an artificially made soul instead of the humans own. It was a fate he was determined to avoid.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chara has made their appearance, and will remain as non-binary. And it does raise the question, what would the king and queen do if they learned about Gaster's synthetic human soul?


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We finally get some grillster fluff, and a very flustered Gaster.

After dropping his bag off back at the lab and carefully storing the blood away, he teleported to Grillby’s house. He felt too tired to bother knocking and decided to test the door, it wasn’t locked. A bit perplexed by this, he opened the door and stepped inside. He could hear the sounds of muffled laughter coming from the living room.

“Sounds like their having fun.” He thought.

He could see the light spilling out from the living room and out into the dark hallway. As he walked closer the laughter became clearer, Papyrus’s ‘nyehehe’ alongside Sans’. He paused just outside of the room. He didn’t hear Grillby’s laughter. Was he not in the room? If that was the case, then where was he?

“You back already.”

He turned in the direction the voice had come from, and came face to face with the fire monster. Grillby’s flames gave off a soft orange glow, the shadows dancing as they flickered in time with him. It was a pretty sight to behold, and not something he got to see often.

“You forgot to lock your door, you know that isn’t wise.” He chided.

It wasn’t like the elemental to be so careless.

“You’re right, but I heard from Edna what happened when she dropped the boys off, I figured you’d be too tired to bother knocking.” Grillby said.

He did have a point, he had been too tired to want to knock on the door.

“What happened, is everything alright?” Grillby asked, chasing him out of his thoughts.

“Yes,” He answered, unsure what he was allowed to say, Asgore hadn’t sworn him to secrecy, but still. “I’m not sure if it’s my place to explain, Asgore will have to make a formal announcement about it sooner or late.”

“Alright, then I’ll wait until then.” The fire elemental replied after a pause.

He was thankful for how understanding his friend was being. How did one explain that they’d been asked to treat the injuries of a fallen human by the king himself. Or that the king and queen, as well as the prince, had already warmed up to them.

“What is it that has my childing giggling up such a storm?” He asked.

“I set them up with some cartoon I found in the dump after Edna dropped them off. They seem to like them, they haven't paused it once this entire time.” Grillby answered.”

He clicked his tongue. “Thanks for watching them on such short notice.”

“Anytime.”

Neither said anything further, so an awkward silence settled over them like a light fog. Neither broke the silence, and besides small movements of discomfort, they didn’t do anything either.There was a tension between them, but he didn’t know why. There was something odd about the way Grillby was looking at him, something that made his soul flutter like a whimsum.

“I suppose I should probably get the boys and take them home, it’s getting late and tomorrow’s shaping up to be busy.” He said finally.

Grillby didn’t reply, still looking at him with that off gaze. It wasn’t making him uncomfortable, but it was awkward none the less.Turning to leave, he was taken by surprise when the elemental placed a hand on his shoulder, and a fluttery kiss on his cheek. Before he could say anything, Grillby vanished on him, leaving him three different shades of violet and dumbfounded.

Grillby just- what in the… that wasn’t a dream, right?”

His thoughts quickly became a jumbled mess of confusion and fluster.

“I-I’m just going to go collect my sons and then go home.” He decided aloud.

Both boys protested somewhat when he came to collect them, pleading for ‘just one more episode dad- it’s getting to the good part’. Those protests quickly died down when they noticed his new coloring. Sans snicked quietly, but made no comment on his complexion. He wasn’t so lucky with Papyrus, however, the toddler had made as ‘Daha Puwle’ comment as he picked him up. This only made him even more flustered, darkening the purple blush of his.

His blush didn’t fade, even after returning home and putting his sons to bed. His thoughts remained a mess even as he settled down for the night.

‘Mama alright?’

He was far from alright- his best friend had just kissed him for Asgore’s sake! The young soul didn’t know that. Nor did it understand why this made him so flustered and confused. It was too young to understand just how complicated emotions could be.

…Did it referred to him as mom?

 

The next few weeks were a blur of experiments as he tested the human’s blood for anything that shouldn’t be there. Everything was as it should. He also ended up learning that humans were for the most part, immune to monster illnesses, and vice verse. This made him curious to see how a body that was half human and monster would fair.

Three days after their arrival, Asgore and Toriel made a public announcement of Chara’s arrival, as well as their plan to formally adopt them. The queen had been ecstatic to hear that their newest child had a clean bill of health, and that they shouldn’t be coming down with any monster sickness anytime soon.

Because he desired for the body to be unique and not just a straight up clone of Chara, he had to gather some of his own marrow. It had been harder than he first expected, not that he thought sticking a freaking needle into his ulna would be simple. In the end, he managed to gather the sample and not scream like a little girl.

Next came the difficult step, combining the two samples together. He knew what he was trying to do was possible, but trying to get a reaction synthetically was a different trial altogether. Thankfully, as he finalized the ‘womb’ spell he’d use to house the developing body, the complication resolved them.

Now the preparations were complete, he was finally ready to proceed with his plans. The process of waving magic together to form a durable, seamless barrier to act as the womb was a tedious task, and small error forced him to undo several seconds of work. Thankfully that didn’t force him to start all over from the ground up. The spell would draw the nutrients the body needed straight from his own, like a human parent. Once he was finished, he was ready to move on to the final task; getting the soul inside.

Manifesting his soul, a surge of pride swelled in his ribs as he saw his little human soul materialize.

“Alright little one, I need you to go into the barrier.” He cooed.

The soul was hesitant, wary of the strange spell he wanted it to enter. But after some coaxing and reassurance from him, its parent, and a promise that nothing bad would befall it, the soul timidly entered the barrier. The attachment between them severed the moment the spell enveloped it.

Adding in the blood and marrow, he watched with held breath for a reaction. Minutes ticked by and still no reaction, preparing to analyze the situation, he was taken back by surprise with the room was flooded with blue light. 

When the light dissipated, and he was no longer dazed, he noticed the barrier was no longer in front of him. Or anywhere he could see in the lab for that matter.

“What the?! Where- How?” He panicked.

He could still feel the soul as strongly as ever, but it still was no where to be found.

“Where are you little one?”

The answer, or response perhaps, came in the sensation of something shifting inside of him. Alarmed and panicking, he yanked up the hem of his sweater. He found the barrier attached to his spine, just barely a quarter of a meter from his bottom most rib. Inside the samples had combined together, and now resided around the soul.

“How in the heck did this happen?” He wondered mystified.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry but I'm not sorry, not even a little. Now let me add 'Momster' to the tags.


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Flustered Gaster is the best Gaster to write if you want to laugh while doing it. Seriously, this was a riot to get done. Also, the return of mom friend Edna, now with 100% more shipper.

“I haven’t given you a name you, have I.” He mused.

He’d realized it not long after calming down the from near heart attack inducing panic he’d endured from the end results of the ‘little’ fiasco of learning he would essential ‘carry’ the child like a mother would. Now he knew why the soul referred to him as mama. He’d only ever referred to them as ‘little one’ or ‘human soul’, and while both were suitable things to call it, they weren’t exactly names.

“That’s something I’ll have to do before you’re born, figure out a proper name from a human soul with a half monster body.”

The soul shifted, doing what was akin to snuggling deeper into a soft bed.

He chuckled softly, a hand wandered to his stomach area.

 

Thankfully his soul continued to mask the presence of the human soul. That hadn’t been something he’d considered until work the following day. He interacted with his sons just fine that evening, and earlier he’d passed by Edna, neither party was any wiser to his little secret.

Still, there was the concern of a wandering gaze, or eyes staring at him for just a little too long and noticing something different about him. Particularly if the monster in question knew him quite well on a personal level. There were a least four monster in the category, including his sons, and three of them hadn’t noticed a thing. But we all know how observant children can be, and how easily they pick up on changes in their parents.

“There’s nothing I can really do about that.” He thought.

There wasn’t any use wasting energy worrying over what he couldn’t affect. There was also the matter of Grillby. He hadn’t interacted with the elemental after their last encounter, and he arguably knew him the best out of everyone, even better than his own children. Right now, the very thought of the flame monster made him turn purple and flustered, and the memory of the kiss was not helping in the slightest.

“He’s just a close friend I like… right?” He wondered. The more he thought about it, the more unsure he became

His skull was probably entirely purple at this point, lovely. Good luck explaining this to others. He fidgeted with the sleeve of his sweater.

“Get it together Wing Ding! Your acting like a flustered teenage girl with a crush! Yes, Grillby is your closest friend, and just confessed to having romantic feeling for you, and-“

He did NOT need to go down that rabbit hole yet. He shook his head to clear his thoughts.

“Okay, let’s not try that again. Good gods, at this rate I may need relationship counseling from Edna.”

Not the the she-drake wasn’t a good person to confide in, or that she didn’t like giving counsel to people. But embarrassment DID still exist.

Eventually, he did go home. His thought was still a mess, and he was about ready to go hide under a rock.

“I’m ho-“He was cut off by a flying blur of orange tacking head first into his chest, sending him falling back onto his behind. A certain babybones looked up at him with cheerful eyes and plenty of giggling.

“You're using magic now already? And I thought Sans was a handful at your age.” He said, chuckling.

“Nyehehehe~ Daha’s back! And He’s purple!” Papyrus cheered.

His father squawked and turned an even darker shade.

“Heh, At this point, you’d blend in with the the Queen's formal robes!” Sans teased from the end of the hallway.

“Yes, yes, laugh while you can.” He shot back jokingly. “In a few years you’ll be blushing a lovely shade of cyan and then we’ll see who’s laughing.”

Papyrus giggled at the antics of his father and older brother, his cheekbones Rosey with an orange hue. It was a nice break from his scrambled thoughts.

 

“Sooooo,” Edna started leaning against his desk.

“What?” He asked, an eye ridge raised. He had a sinking feeling.

“Who’s the lucky monster on your mind?” She inquired bluntly.

He let out a loud, undignified squawk for someone in the position of the royal scientist, and promptly turned 6 different gradients of purple.

“E-E-Edna!” He almost shrieked. “That is not something you ask your boss at work!”

She just shrugged.

“But I was right.” She pointed out, on eyebrow raised.

“Whether you are right or wrong is not the issue here- you don’t just go asking your introverted boss with a limited social circle if he has someone on his mind!” He retaliated hotly. “Besides, it doesn’t matter if I have someone on my mind or not because I fully intend not to let that distract me from my work.”

“Is it someone I know? I hope it is- I don’t need king fluffybuns asking why I’m running a background check on some random monster I’ve never met before.” She continued, ignoring him.

“Isn’t that going a bit too far? Besides, as I said I-“

“Is it Grillby?”

He yelped and let out a string of incoherent babbling.

So it IS him! What changed between the two of you? The nosy drake monster prodded.

“W-why do you assume anything’s changed between us?”

“Because you’re becoming a flustered mess. I don’t think you could be any more obvious.”

“I am not a-“

“Answer the question G.” She said flatly.

He sighed. It was inevitable really, no one escaped Edna’s prodding once she caught you. Not even he, her boss, was exempt. And he really was obvious, wasn’t he?

“A while back… Grillby kissed me- on the cheek, don’t think I don’t see that look! I’ve been mulling over it.” He admitted.

He didn’t need to see her face to know she was grinning ear to ear. He knew he too well not to.

“You know what this means.” She said.

“That I wait until after work to think over my feels for my best friend?”

“Not quite, you talk to him and the two of you work your feelings for each other out.”

“…I should give guessed.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I plan on naming the soul 'Hollow' because for some reason that's the first thing that came to mind. I like it tho.


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Names are probably the hardest thing to come up with, more memories, and dadster. And morning Sickness.

As it turns out, coming up with names is easier said than done. The soul was human through and through, so despite their body being half skeleton monster, it just didn’t feel right giving them a font name. That meant he had to think out side the box. After several scrapped ideas, the Royal scientist developed a new found sympathy for the king of monsters and his nonexistent ability to name things.

Despite all that had come up in the past few months, from a third child to a human falling, he still had the job of discovering a way to free monster kind. That meant he was often mulling over the data collected from the barrier, and what they knew about the nature of souls, specifically human souls. He knew pathetic little about both subjects. What he did know about the nature of souls seemed to be shared between both humans and monsters, but with several key differences.

“I just don’t have enough data on human souls to do anything.” He sighed.

The only human souls in the underground where the fallen humans and the one he’d created artificially. His synthetic soul was very small, and hadn’t even existed for half a year. Nor did it even have a body yet. Chara’s, on the other hand, was larger, and had resided in a body for as long as they had been alive. And even if he were to get their permission as well as the permission of the Dreemurr’s to examine their soul, would that allow him to learn anything substantial? Human souls tended to be ferry different from one another, more so than monsters’ souls.

Tapping a falanga softly against his cranium, the moment he began to drift off into thought, his free hand gravitated to above his midriff just above that womb barrier. When he noticed the very maternal action, a smile tinged onto his lips. This wasn’t the first time he’d done this, so it no longer surprised him when it happened. He’d seen many an expectant mother on both sides do this, though usually the mother in question had a visible bump. It had never occurred to him then that he would one day be in the same position.

“In a month or two I should expect one of my own to start popping up.” He thought warmly.

Then paused. He hadn’t taken into consideration the fact he’d actually be showing in the future. That was going to be a problem. Once the bump was large enough, there was no way he’d be able to just hide it, nor would people just write it off. Edna would ask questions, Asgore would ask questions, and god forbid he mention it to lady Toriel. She’d know right away what was up- anyone who’d been a mother would. And even if he managed to get through this with everyone none the wiser, he had a small child and toddler at home already. How would he be able to care for this child's need in secret while balancing his elder sons’ needs at the same time? He was a single parent.

“Dear God, and I’m only just now realizing this?” He though slightly panicked.

The soul became aware of his distress. It did the only thing it could do.

‘Mama?’

It was curious and confused. Why was it’s parent so upset?

The soul’s presence helped to calm him down and ground him back into reality, but there was still a very real concern that lingered. They were just an artificially created soul, it was easy for someone else to use that to form the illusion that this was a better alternative simply because it was a ‘fake’. Or his data could be used to replicate the experiment and a soul, maybe even several, would be created solely for the purpose of breaking the barrier. The mere thought of either one made him shudder.  
Monster souls might be made of love and kindness, but fear and desperation were powerful, overwhelming emotions that could make even the kindest of souls act in unpredictable ways.

“We live in dark times indeed, my child.” He thought grimly.

 

He bit back tears and curled tighter into a ball, head pressed into his chest and covered by his arms. His tunic did little to soften the impact of his assailant's boots and fists as they beat into him with a sadistic glee. A semicircle of human youths had formed to watch as his tormenter, a human as well, beat into him shrunken form, chanting and shouting encouragement with each blow. A swift kick to his spine yanked a yelp from past his gritted teeth and jaw. The humans around him giggled with each display of pain.

“Hey rat face!” A prepubescent voice shouted. “Fight someone’s who’s actually willing to hit back!”

Another person groaned. “Naui, seriously? We should just go and get an adult instead of you picking fights with every meat brain you see!”

“Bite your tongue fish eyes! Go back to hiding behind you’re mommy’s skirt and leave us big kids alone!” His bully retorted.

The challenger scoffed. “Big kid? Isn’t that my line? Only little brats with too much time on their hands and too little guts pick on others like that.”

He peeped open an eye just in time to see his assailant turn red and fuming. Several meters away a human and their companion stood. The person he assumed was her savior stood tall and proud, a loppy grin on their face. Their friend looked as distance with the situation as could be, something you wouldn’t expect to see on a child’s face.

The bully charged at the kid. He was taller and bulkier, with wider shoulders and meatier hands. The kid continued to grin with confidence. The bully drew back a fist and slammed it into the kid’s direction. They ducked quick and easy, the countered by driving their elbow into his gut. He winced as the bully stumbled back, bent over and holding his stomach in both hands. The older kid looked up at his new target, eyes smoldering with anger. He charged forward in an attempt to tackle the kid. They simply stepped sideways, them going left and their friend right, letting the bully crash into the dirt.

At that moment, the kid’s friend became disinterest with the fight and walked over to him. Their black hair was longer than most human boys had it, bangs fluttering against his face like leaves. It was a stark contrast to their friend’s shorter, shaggier, golden brown locks.

“Those cracks look painfull, anything seriously hurting?” They asked in a soft voice. Their indigo eyes dusted with concerned.

He shook his head.

“Good,” They sighed. “I’m Aruin, the idiotic hero who’s fighting in Naui.”

As though they heard their friend, the kid shouted: “I am not an idiot hero!” Aruin snorted.

Offering a hand, they helped him up to his feet.

“The monster Kid’s fine, I’m taking him away from here! Catch up to us when you're finished.!” Aruin shouted.

“Just give me a moment and I’ll be done!” Naui shouted back.

As if to prove they’d make good on that statement, Naui waltzed up to the bully and kicked him in the ribs- hard. Harer than he thought possible for a smaller, lither body to do on someone who had to have been twice their weight. The older boy crumpled to the grown like parchment in a fire, gasping his rib like someone had placed a hot poker to bare skin.The victorious kid then waltzed over and joined them with a smirk.

“Okay, let's go.”

 

Gaster woke with a start, hands shooting up to his mouth as a wave of nausea crashed over him. A cold swear perpetrated on his bones as he focused on the ceiling, trying to will the unpleasant feeling away. After several seconds, the nausea subsided.

“That… was far from a pleasant way to wake up.” He mentally groaned.

Down the hall, the tell tale sounds of Papyrus waking up wanting something bounced on over. With a weary yet amused sigh, he got up and quietly made his way over to the boys’ room to appease his fussy son.Sans, unsurprisingly, was sound asleep in his bed. It would take more than papyrus at medium volume to wake him up. The toddler stopped crying the moment he was lifted into his father's arms, and with a happy coo fell back asleep.

“You are far fussier than your brother ever was, but at least you aren’t wreaking havoc to get my attention.” He thought.

He turned to head back to his room, Papyrus in arm, when a pale blue glow lit up the room. He shifted a sleeping papyrus onto one arm and strode over to acquire his eldest. Hefting Sans, he exited the room and returned to his own. Now, if Sans’ powers starting really acting up, or Papyrus became fussy again, they were withing arms reach.


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kids will be kids.

“Naui Look out!” Aruin shouted.

The older boy’s fist slammed into Naui’s cheek regardless of the warning from his friend. The brunet was sent backward into the dirt and grass. With the way he was sprawled out on his back combined with the hair covering his eyes, it was hard to tell if the smaller boy had been knocked unconscious by that last blow or not. The other human kids watching all murmured amongst themselves pointing, some even giggling. Naui’s right hand twitched and he sat up. Blood trickled out of one nostril, his bottom lips shad a sheen to it, making him wonder if he’d bit it on impact.

The golden brunet stumbled to his feet like a drunkard, swaying on unsteady legs like a flower in a storm. Did that last punch give him a concussion? Naui was clearly unbalanced and his legs were shaking so bad they appeared ready to give out at any moment.  
The other monster children were disinterest and avoided the circle, it was a brawl between two random humans to them. The humans were eager for more blood, and by the way, there were cheering on the other boy, it was his friend’s blood they wanted to see.

Naui was once more sent sprawling into the dirt, this time by a blow to the shoulder. This time he struggled to one foot, still sitting, one eye squeezed shut, the other squinted open and a fire burning in its amber depth. Fear for his friend’s like bubbled up in his soul. Naui couldn’t take much more of this.

“Stop this right now! The bastard isn’t worth a broken head!” Aruin demanded, shouting.

Naui normally had an easy time to dodging attacks from kids older and heavier than him, but that wasn’t the case now. The older boy was able to predict his movements and act accordingly, his accuracy spot on. It had been unwinnable for Naui from the start, and yet the younger boy refused to back down. Even now, despite how beat up he was, he refused to stay down and stumbled back up to his feet.

Then a pair of two more kids entered the circle, both as tall as his fallen friend. One stayed close to the side lines, it was clear by their mannerisms they didn’t know how to fight, but they weren’t quite willing to let their platinum haired friend go it alone. Their friend was a different story, either they did know how to fight or was just that willing to stand up against the older kid. The platinum kid was as fast as Naui, but he still ended up on his knees from a low to their stomach, the saliva in their mouth forced out by the strength of the punch.

Fear turned to anger when their cocoa haired friend ran over to their side, only to be sent flying.

 

“Dad, aren’t you supposed to be at the lab working?” Sans asked.

“Not today, today’s a day off for me.” He answered.

Actually, Edna had left a message along the lines of “Gaster, take the day off or I swear to the wishing stones above I will change the pass code and hide all of your important files and paperwork”. And Edna was the type of monster to follow through with every threat she made. So, in the name of not having an angry coworker scolding him for not taking enough time off, he’d do as he was told. Besides, the flowers in castle park were said to be in bloom. That was something he’d been meaning to show Papyrus, certain that the toddler would like it.

“We’ll be spending the afternoon at castle park, so go gather up any toys you want to bring with- and no Sans, you cannot bring your favorite whoopie cushion.” He said with full parent authority.

They weren’t the first to arrive at the park, a family of dog monsters were there already. Sans immediately took off to go join the puppies in what seemed to be a game of tag. Papyrus decided that climbing up and down the slide was more fun. He made sure to keep an eye on both of them, but opted to sit down on a bench near the flowers and relax. Within the hour, more kids and their parents arrived and Papyrus joined a group of fellow toddlers in the sand pit.

 

He stepped in, ignoring Aruin’s loud protesting. The ebony haired boy would not be happy with him when everything was said and done.

“I’ll be your opponent now.” He said.

“Gaster what the hell are you doing- oww!”

“Don’t do this!” 

“What are you doing- He’ll hurt you really badly!”

He ignored the already defeated kids as they tried to talk him out of it. Instead, he focused his attention on the one responsible for inflicting so much pain upon his friend.

“I’m ready whenever you are, that is if you aren’t backing out now.” He goaded.

That got the bastard’s attention. He side stepped the oncoming fist as easily as Naui normally did, it passed by his left arm by inches. The next first he avoided by stepping back. He didn’t even need to teleport to dodge these attacks. His movements were slow, accurate and powerful, but slow none the less. The kids around them had fallen silent as they realized this wasn’t the one-sided fight they’d been expecting. Naui and Aruin were even quiet as they watched.

“You might have impressive accuracy and force behind your punches, but without proper speed, you’ll never land a hit on me.” He said. “I’ve sparred with disabled elders faster than you, one of them is an actual turtle.”

The kid turned red, anger born from humiliation adding extra speed and force his each fist. Alas, he was still too slow to touch him.

“With a wave of a body hand, he turned the kid’s soul blue and sent them crashing into the dirt like he had Naui and the platinum blond. It hadn’t reduced the other’s HP by much, but he felt it was enough to call it a victory. Walking away back over to his friend, he heard the other boy get up. Then he caught the look in Aruin’s eyes; panic. 

“Look out!” Naui screamed.

‘Thunk’.

The boy’s fist collided hard with the back of his skull, he could feel it drain away a third of his HP. Things went graveyard silent.

“You brat.” The kid spat behind him. “You think I’d just let you walk away after humiliating me like that?”

Now he was pissed. He dove forward, spinning around to face the brat who didn’t know when to step down. He watched as the kid went pale, he must have noticed the purple ablaze in his eye sockets. It must have been haunting for everyone watching as spectators, even his downed friends. With a snap, he summoned a blaster and fired. He watched with satisfaction as the boy’s HP dropped down to half.

“I gave you the chance to walk away with only a few bumps and a bruised ego, but you just had to push it, didn’t you.” He growled. “This time, stay down.”

He did his best to ignore the stares of the others around them as they bore into him. He hadn’t meant to go to such extremes, and wouldn’t have if the other boy had just stood down. 

“You all okay?” He mumbled. 

They all nodded.

He was taken a bit by surprise when Aruin trapped him in a vice grip of a hug and glared angerly at him.

“Never ever do that again, got it?”

He nodded.

“The same goes for you three on the ground.”

 

“Dad!”

“Hnnn?”

He opened an eye socket to find the funniest sight: Sans with a bouquet of different colored flowers sticking out of an eye socket. Off in the distance he could see the puppies covered in flower chains.

“It seems I’ve missed several things while I was out, like when you decided to become a vase.” He said, the faint wisps of a smile on his face.

“Hehe, very funny dad,” Sans deadpanned. “Papy has something he want’s you to see.”

What Papyrus had wanted him to see was the sand castle he and the others had created. It wasn’t anything fancy, they were only toddlers after all. But as a parent, he thought it was nice none the less. They certainly appeared to have had fun decorating it with petals and stems, the moat was even filled with former.

“It’s marvelous, you all did well.” He praised, patting his youngest son on the head. “It seems we have a little architect in the making.”

“Dahh!” Papyrus squealed.

The next thing he knew, his sons had teamed up to tackle him to the ground, giggling and laughing as they sat on his chest, beaming with pride. Sans still had the flowers sticking out of his eye.

My, my, what a sight to behold, right Gory?” A feminine voice said. A voice he recognized.

He nearly jumped when he’d heard Toriel speak. This was a development he hadn’t expected.

That it is, Tori, that it is.” A deeper male voice replied.

It was one thing to be the royal scientist and attend a meeting with the king and queen(sometimes), but it was something else entirely to be meeting them as a parent outside the lab or castle with his sons clinging to his sweater.

“Hello King Fluffybuns, Queen Fluffybuns,” Sans said.

“Kwing Dweemoo!” Papyrus greeted.

He already knew how the two royal would react, skull turning purple. Comsnce royal boss monster laughter in 3, 2, 1. Both Triel and Asgore burst out laughing so hard tears were peeping out of the corners of their eyes.

“King Dweemoo, that’s a new one!” Asgore chuckled. “It’s certainly something new, I like it.”

“Agreed, both of your sons are so very adorable,” Toriel added.

“Dad talks about us?” Sans asked

“Yes, when they're a break here or there. And he uses this fond tone of voice that’s reserved for only when he’s talking about the two of you.” Asgore answered.

“DadDadDad!” Prince Asriel shouted, running over to them. “Can Chara and I go pl- Oh Howdy! Are you Dr. Gaster’s sons?”


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Toriel is put in a bad light, so Toriel fans be warned. Also epic sparing scene.

In his short life, Gaster had been the only skeleton monster he’d ever interacted with before. And the royal scientist came up to just above his mother’s chin. So he was completely enamored but the two younger, smaller skeletons who he nearly towered over.There was also the fact that because of their youth, the two smaller skellys' were squishier, not yet calcified like their father.

“I didn’t know skeletons could be so squishy! Golly, you’re kinda’ like a snow poff.” Asriel said, squishing Sans’ cheeks with his paws. “I’ll go get Chara, maybe we can all play together.”

The young prince raced off into the flower field in search of their friend. He felt a bit apprehensive, the would be his first time actually meeting the child in question and not just their sleeping body. It had been so long since the war between the two races had ended, and the day he’d lost his friends. Would Chara remind him of those he had last? And if they did, how would he react? He looked over to see Asgore giving him a concerned look, the king was the only other person besides Grillby who knew what he’d lost. And was the only person who knew the truth about the barrier.

The king walked over and sat down next to him, then placed a large paw on his shoulder.

“You do not have to do this if you do not feel up to it, my friend,” Asgore said gently. “I will understand if you wish to put this on hold until another day.”

“I am alright.” He replied half truthfully. “I need to get this over and done with sooner rather than later.”

Asgore nodded in understanding, but his paw remained on his shoulder for a heart beat longer. The goat boss monster didn’t even try to hide the concern on his face.

I know today is supposed to be your day off, but if isn't too much trouble, how has your research go?” Asgore asked.

“Painfully slow,” He answered. “We know far too little about human souls, what we do know shared many parallels with our own, but it is not enough to achieve freedom. The barrier simply is too much of an enigma at this point. I fear the only way to progress may end up being to study a living human’s soul.”

Asgore pursed his lips and stared out at the flowers. It was moments like these that the king actually looked like a king. He knew the doubts Asgore had the day he’d become the heir to the throne, doubts that still lingered to this day.

“What would happen to the human?” Asgore inquired carefully. “Would they be alright?”

“If you’re asking if they’d survive or not, the answer is y-“

“I will not let you have Chara’s soul!” Toriel cut in.

The two turned to face the queen of monster, whose face was pulled back with fury. He crinkled his face in confusion.

“Lady Toriel, what do you mean?” He asked.

“I will not allow Chara to become a lab rat, even if it means we have to be trapped down here for another century! They are a child who’s done nothing wrong!” She hissed, snarling.

She must have over heard a part of their conversation and misunderstood what he was saying. She must have concluded that he was trying to convince Asgore to study the child’s soul.

“You have nothing to worry about your majesty, I was merely answering your husband's question. Any examinations that would be hypothetically done would not harm the human more than perhaps a slight discomfort at worst.” He explained.

The queen narrowed her eyes.

“We monster as a whole lost friends loved ones, and even out freedom at the hands of human kind,” She said in a hushed voice. “Desperation and hate are powerful driving forces, even for being like us.”

He froze, lowering is gaze to his lap as the edges of his vision turned scarlet. As the Queen's words sank in, anger freezing and hot bubbled out. While the accusation, in general, was understandable, Chara had become a second child to her, the fact that she’d pointed it at him of all people was a step out of line. It didn’t matter that she was ignorant to the true extent of his losses.

“T-Toriel! What in the blazes has gotten into you?” Asgore exclaimed in alarm.

Lifting his gaze to meet her square in the eyes, he watched her flicked slightly. He was well aware of the terrifying sight he’d become, with his eye lights blazing purple up against his scars and the bloody murder in his eyes.

“Never ever accuse me of holding hate towards humans ever again! Or that I’d be willing to harm a child!” He spat. “I loved my friends too much to hate their race just because of a few bad apples in power! They loved out kind enough to sacrifice their very lives to make sure this prison of our was not out tomb!”

He didn’t stay long enough to see her reaction to his outburst. The moment he spat out the last of his words, he teleported deep into the flower garden, away from them, from her. Anger along with pain boiled over as he seethed over the accusations echoing in his mind. His hands were balled into fists at his side, the taste of dust overwhelming in his mouth.

“Mister, are you okay?” A child’s voice asked.

The question broke him out of his anger induced trance, pulling him back into reality.

“Yes child, I’m alright-…”

Chara looked at him with big red eyes glossy with worry and confusion. They reminded him a little of his friends, but not really. Red eyes… He’d encountered a human with eyes that exact same color, but unlike Chara, he had been a devil in the shape of a man.  
“It’s because I’m human, isn’t it.” They sighed.

He chuckled softly. “Yes, but not in the way your thinking. You remind me of some humans I once knew,”

Chara studied him for a moment, then walked up to him. They traced a finger of the scars on his face, it was something only his sons had done before, other children were intimidated by them. Other adults too. After they were done with that, they grabbed one of his hands and began examining it. They seemed particularly fascinated by the hole.

“Did you get them from the war?” They asked curiously.

“Yes, each one is a reminder of a dear friend I lost, someone I don’t ever want to forget.” He answered.

‘Mama?'

He felt the soul rouse awake. Thankfully that’s missed his little freakout, it wasn’t something he was feeling too proud of.

‘Yes?’

‘Is mama okay?’

“Yes, I am fine.’

The soul pulsed, registering the company they had.

‘Ara…Big sib’

The soul recognized the other as not only as the other human soul living in the underground, but also the donor of blood that made up half of their body. Just he was its mother, Chara was its sibling, related by blood.

“We should get back to the others now, Asriel was looking for you when I saw him last, he wanted to introduce you to my sons.” He said.

“You have kids?” Chara asked, wide eyed.

“Yes, but Sans and Papyrus are both younger than the two of you.”

 

He thanked his lucky stars that no one was commenting about what had transpired. And that his children both seemed to have missed his scary moment. So returning with Chara in tow was uneventful. Toriel gave him an apologetic look, and judging by Asgore own guilty look, he had an idea of what had transpired when he’d stormed off. He gave the queen a forgiving expression. There would be time later to talk and move on. Chara didn’t say anything, but he knew the child was observing the exchange of looks with a raised eyebrow.

“Ahh, you’re found Chara it seems. Asgore said finally.

“Actually, they found me.” He replied.

“Chara! There you are!” Asriel called. “Come on- we’re playing tag and Sans’ it!”

He watched as the duo ran off, probably to find places to hide.

“Would you be up to a friendly spar?” Asgore offered. “For old times sake.”

“I’ll take you up on that offer, it would be nice to burn through some energy in a way that isn’t panic born.” He answered, smiling.

The battle began the moment he’d finished speaking. Asgore had the first move, starting off with a complex barrage of fireballs.He managed to dodge most of them without the use of teleportation, save for a few. In Response, the royal scientist unleashed a wave of bones, mostly while with a few blue mixed in. With the grace that only a seasoned veteran of war had, Asgore dodged the attack.

With a toothy grin, the boss monster summoned his signature crimson trident. With the aid of fireballs, he charged. With a snap of his fingers, he summoned a blaster and had it unleashed a beam of white, followed by a second wave of bones, these were all white. Asgore had the advantage at close range, but with long range, things were tipped just enough in his own favor.

He maintained the distance with complex patterns of blasters and bones, using each form of magic in his arsenal. A stray fireball clipped the side of his skull, breaking his attack just enough for Asgore to rush in and push him sprawling onto his back, the tip of the trident pointed at his chest.

“It seems I win this time.”

“It seems that you do.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this entire chapter was an excuse for the spar scene.


	13. Chapter 13

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Longest chapter yet. Also, kid be nice, your dad's having a moment XD

He dodged the instructor's attack with natural ease, the red spell missing his back by several feet. His friend Aruin, Hydel, Naui, and Kaimeer observed from the sidelines with varying levels of interest. The middle two were the least invested. With a wave of his hand, the instructor cast four consecutive beams of white light at him. He dodged each one with the same ease, but the distance between an arm and one of those beams shad closed by several inches. He received a hearty, prowed smile from the fan, aging green eyes sparkling.

“Good.” The man praised.

He was given little time to bask in the short, whole felt compliment before the instructor sent a wave of yellow magic bullets at him in a hellish pattern. Despite his best efforts, a hand full of them did strike his ribs, arms, and left leg, while a few others grazed past him. He could feel each blow eat away at a third of his health.

“Alright, that’s enough for now, go rest up.” The instructor said. “Alright, Hydel and Naui, the two of you are next.”

Both boys leaped to their feet and ran past him to take their places before the instructor.

“Alright old man- let's do this!” “I’ll land in more than one punch this time!” They barked.

Naui dug his heels into the soft earth, gloved first glowing a soft orange as he eyed the instructor. Then he pushed off, charging at the older man. The instructor responded by meeting the boy’s charge with yellow bullets. This pattern was simpler than the one he’d used on him earlier, but Naui still got grazed by a few of them, and then one hit him square in the shoulder, throwing him off kilter and cutting his momentum.

Hydel picked up where his partner left off and raised his bow. He summoned a yellow bullet in the shape of an arrow and pulled it back to his ear, the fired. Then did that again several times. Many of them veered off course and missed their mark by a long shot, but a few did manage to for the instructor to dodge. The instructor ended the skirmish with a wave of red that knocked boy boys onto their backs.

Naui, you need to work more on your agility, you were doing fine until that last one hit you. Hydel, work on your accuracy, you’re gotten better.” The instructor told them. “Now let’s try that again.”

Naui gritted his teeth and got back up, charging forward again. This time he managed to not get hit by any of the bullets. His downfall this time was a miss placed step that caused him to trip and land forward. The instructor made no comment on the blunder, there was no point in pointing out the obvious.

Hydel wasn’t given a chance to retaliate, he was swamped with two waves of white beams. He managed not to get his both times. He countered with a well-aimed arrow that actually managed to graze the instructor's cheek. Not doing any harm to the man.

A smile split his lips. “Good, that was much better.”

He ended the fight with a second wave of red that knocked the boy backward once more.

“You both know what it is you need to work on, so that will be all for right now.” The instructor said. “Aruin, Kaimeer, let’s see how the two of you have improved.”

The two groups swapped placed, Hydel and Naui collapsing on the grass next to him as the other two took their places. Kaimeer nervously wrought their hands around the boy of their staff as Aruin open his tome. Aruin took the first move, with a wave of his hand he had a wave of purple bullets flying towards the instructor, the pattern simple and pace moderate. The instructor formed a shield to avoid taking damage.

Like with Hydel and Naui, the instructor cast a wave of red magic. Kaimeer threw down a green shield-like mirror that deflected all of the attacks that crashed into it. In response, the instructor dissipated the spell, turning the wave into a red mist. Kaimeer didn’t stop there, they flung a volley of white fire at their opponent. The dissipated harmlessly against a barrier of the instructor's design.

“Good, good, you actually attacked this time.”

This time Aruin erected a shield of purple to defend against the white beams heading their way as Kaimeer prepared another volley of white fire. With a snap of his fingers, the instructor sent a wave of yellow bullets their way, using the same hellish pattern he’d used on him. They pounded mercilessly against the shield until it shattered, pelting the two with magic. By the end of it, both were down to half of their maximum HP.

“You’re all improved by leaps and bounds, but there’s still more polishing up to do before we’re through.”

 

“I’ll be working late again tomorrow, so you and papyrus will be spending the night at Grillby’s. I’ll pick the two of you up the following evening, please go gather whatever you need.” He told his eldest.

The young skeleton nodded and ran off into the living room to begin his task The elder skeleton brought the mug of coffee in his hand to his mouth and took a long, slow drink of the bitter, hot fluid. There was no running away from this now, the evening for over Morrow he’d have to talk to Grillby. Even if his own feeling for the other monster were still unclear. He knew from experience that if he continued to put it off, it wouldn’t end well.

The next morning he arrived in Snowdin with a sleeping child in each arm. It was a miracle that Papyrus was still asleep, he was the more finicky and energetic of the two. The quiet was a welcomed change of pace as he navigated the snowy roads.Thankfully Grillby opened the door before he had to worry about trying to know. The fire monster relieved him of his sleeping children and their things without a word.

“Thanks for doing this for me, it’s hard to juggle kids and work.” He said. “I’ll be back tomorrow evening to pick them up, don’t hesitate to call if something comes up.”

There was a pregnant pause between them, the air heavy with unsaid words. They glanced at each other with a myriad of conflicting emotions.

“…We’ll talk later- when I come to pick them up.” He finally said. 

Grillby nodded and he heard the door close shut as he turned around to head off to work. Grilbby would probably set the sleeping pair down on the couch with a blanket to let them rest a little longer as he also got ready for work. With a heavy sigh, he shoved his jumbled emotions down into a corner of his mind in preparation for long hours at the lab. He needed a clear head if he didn’t want to be a walking safety hazard.

 

“So, this is all you know about the barrier?”

He nearly jumped when he heard the soft voice speak. Standing on a chair in front of his desk, papers in both hands, Chara looked over at him with those red eyes of theirs. He had no idea how long they’d been looking over those papers.

“Why are you in my office? And how did you get in here?” He asked, a few off from straight out demanding.

They just shrugged and gave him a look at the said ‘Why don’t you tell me?’.

“I’m here because I heard that you’re the one in charge of breaking the barrier, and I want to know how.” They said as if it were nothing. “So, any ideas on how to knock the thing down?”

He sighed and walked over to his desk.

“To break the barrier you need a power equal to or greater than seven human souls. The easiest way to do that would be to use seven human souls, but because that is impossible, I have been looking for an alternative.”

Chara frowned. “Is there a way to collect more human souls?” They pressed.

He was starting to feel a bit uncomfortable. Why were they so interest in the barrier all of a sudden? His mind recalled the self-hate that had been oozing from their soul when they’d fired fallen down. He almost shuddered.

“Well, if a monster were to absorb a human’s soul, or a human absorb a monster’s soul, then it would be possible to cross the barrier and collect the souls needed.” He admitted.

He saw something flash in their eyes, but it was only for a moment.

“One last question, if it’s alright, is it true you had human friends?” They asked.

He nearly froze.

“Where did you hear that?” He asked carefully.

“Dad mentioned it when talking with mom once, they didn’t realize I’d overheard them.” The answered, shrugging. “Asriel wasn’t there, he doesn’t know.”

“Before I answer that, do humans still remember us monsters?”

Nothing really, monsters are nothing more than a myth used to keep kids in line.” The replied.

“Mnn.”

It made sense. If humans did remember their existence, then they would have sent down a group to go confirm the death of all remaining monsters. That hadn’t happened.

“I did have human friends, four of them in fact. All of them were mages too. I cared about all of them dearly, and they cared about me. They loved monsters, and unlike others, saw us as equals.”

He chuckled, recalling the fight that had allowed him to meet all of his friends. He’d used up plenty of magic afterward to heal, despite being hurt himself.

“We trained to together, laughed to gather, we were all so close… And then the war started. They refused to kill monsters, or even fight them most of the time. It didn’t matter that to them that they were shunned and branded as monster sympathizers.”

And then the barrier was created, they’d each fought him before going willingly to their deaths. Giving up their lives to protect monster kind had been their dying wish.

 

In any other version of the situation, he would have turn tailed and fled like a coward, putting confrontation off for another day. But his sons were there, so he had no choice. He couldn’t impose on his friend like that, even if the elemental was the person in question he wanted to run from. After slaving over it for a few hours, he’d finally admitted to himself that his feelings for the fire monster weren’t as platonic as he’d once believed. This made it a little less daunting. Hopefully, he wouldn’t blunder about and end up ruining his friendship.

He didn’t bother knocking as he let himself in. Grillby wouldn’t mind as long as he didn’t flee the moment he’d rounded up his children. The more time he had before confronting the elemental the better.

The first thing he noticed was a storm of laughter coming from the living room, undoubtedly his sons. He’d formally retrieve them after he was done, or if things went smoothly, after dinner. Because that was probably what the other adult was doing, making dinner. He found the monster in question at the stove, his back to him. The elemental noticed him before he had a chance to say anything.

“Wing Ding… Hi.” Grillby greeted.

He waved in response. “Hello, Grillby.

He was still very unsure how best to approach this. For all it did him good more of the time, his vocabulary was suddenly failing him. Well, here goes nothing.

“Grillby I- You’re my closest friend so… so it was a bit surprising when you, it was more than a little surprising to find out your true feelings…”

This could not have been any more awkward than it already was. He really didn’t know how to do this. So, time to improvise! Both skeletons and elementals didn’t really have lips, or in the case of elementals, mouths. So when kissing meant getting creative. The most common way was by rubbing most of your face with against your partner’s, not unlike how muzzled monsters nuzzled their partners.

He’d squeezed his eye sockets shut before pressing his face up against Grillby’s, pleading that he’d gotten his feeling for the other across. Just as he was about to assume the worst when a pair of hands came to grip his arms and his partner began kissing back.The two stayed like that for a while, basking in shared emotions and just straight up the other’s company. Had they been alone in the house, they most likely would have spent hours like that, and possibly end up losing dinner.

“Eww! Not before dinner!” Sand protested from the kitchen’s threshold.

Both men practically jumped apart, one turning purple, the other’s flames turning bright yellow. That was one way to be reminded that there was still ‘company’(a very young child and toddler) present in the house. Edna would have a riot the moment she learned that the normally reserved and collected royal scientist kissed his friend on impulse.


	14. Chapter 14

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Buttercups and names. And some randomness. I think that should be self explanatory.

“I don’t want to fight you- any of you, I refuse to!” He cried.

Aruin stared at the ground, his hair a black veil over his indigo eyes. His violet mage robes fluttered in the wind as he refused to look up at him.

“None of us want to either, believe me, but he won’t trust us if we don’t,” Aruin replied, still focusing on the ground. “We all wish that there was another way, unfortunately, there isn’t.”

“But why? What could be so important that you need to gain his trust? What’s it he’s planning?” He demanded.

“It’s better you don’t know, because then you can’t do anything more to break our resolve... Just know this; for the survival of monsters it has to be done.” The purple mage said, finally lifting his head.

Determination showed strong in his eyes. He wanted to say more, to protest further, but the words died in his throat. With a wave of his hand, Aruin began his attack, the pages of his tome fluttering over. And by the end of it, he was left clutching his right hand in pain as his friend turned and walked away, vanishing among the masses of fighting bodies. Blood and tears the only proof he’d been there at all.  
-  
“Please stop this! Whatever it is he’s planning, there’s no way it warrants this!”

Hydel acted as though he hadn’t heard his protests, his blue eyes sprinkled with regret and determination framed by his platinum colored hair. The archer mage simply raised his bow, an arrow already on the string, and drew it back.

The battle ended quickly, he wasn’t really putting his heart into it. He watched, clutching the right side of his face as his friend walked away.  
-  
“Naui, please, just tell me why the four of you need his trust.” He pleaded.

“Sorry Gaster, I can’t, Kaimeers up next and his kind heart wouldn’t be able to take it,” Naui replied. He could feel his friends' warm breath with every punch he avoided. The golden brunet’s amber eyes were stoick with determination. But the tears were proof enough that he couldn’t keep his emotions at bay.

At last one of Naui’s fist collided with his skull, leaving him on the ground and clutching the space above his left eye.

“We’ll understand if you hate us, it’s a cruel thing we’re doing, but it’s what we have to do.”

“I could never hate any of you, I know none of you are doing this because you want to.” He whispered, watching the mage leave.  
-  
In their emerald mage robes and carved staff, Kaimeer looked more like an ethereal, otherworldly guide here to lede him away. And given how they normally were, it wasn’t a stretch.

Their smile was pinched, forced. There was a redness in their green eyes, like they had been crying. Their brown hair swirled around him even in the slight breeze. Just because he used green magic the most did not mean it was all he knew.

He was left clutching his left hand as their expression became somber, mourning even.

“He plans on casting a spell that will turn Mt. Ebott into the tomb of monster kind, he already has the backing of the head mage as well as several other very important mages. Naui, Aruin, Hydel and I plan on changing that.” Kaimeer explained. “We will be a part of the six he plans on having to aid him in the spell’s casting, our intentions will prevent it from becoming a genocide spell.

“Only seven mages? But a spell of that caliber takes so much magic, you’ll all-“

“We know that, but we are more than prepared to make this sacrifice for the sake of thousands of innocent souls. Not doing anything would go against all of our traits, especially Hydel’s and mine.”

 

He pressed his face deeper into his pillow, fighting back tears and choking down sobs as the painful memories returned. His friend; Aruin Naui, Kaimeer, and Hydel, they didn’t deserve to die. Not with how loving their souls had been, he wanted so badly for this to be a dream, then all he’d have to do is wake up. But this was no dream, it was cold reality, his friends were dead, giving up their lives so monsters could survive and heal.

‘Mama?’

His distress and sorrow had woken the soul. He could feel it’s concern for him as it looked for the source of his anguish and pain. It was both adorable and heartwarming.

“I’m alright now, thank you.” He murmured.

“Dad?”

He sat up and was surprised to find not only Sans, but Papyrus as well standing there in the doorway to his room. Both looked worried.

“You alright dad? I felt your magic flare up in here and came to check, Paps is worried too.” Sans said.

For emphasis, Papyrus made a soft whining sound, his features soft. He’d undoubtedly felt it too.

“I’m fine now, just some unpleasant memories. You can both come keep me company if you want, help keep the nasty memories away.” He offered.

Ans was answered by two little skeletons jumping onto the foot of his bed and crawling over to him. Smiling, he curled his arms around them, closing his eyes.

“Dad, were you talking to someone earlier?” Sans drowsily asked.

He froze. He hadn’t realized the two had been there for that long, he had no reason to. Thankfully his eldest son nodded off, but it didn’t make this feel any less horrifying.

 

He paused what he was doing and placed a hand on his middle. There it was again, the strange sensation, no stronger or weaker than before. Glancing around the room for any unwanted visitors(He still hadn’t learned how Chara had gotten in), he confirmed what he was indeed alone. He lifted up his shirt just enough to see the child. His soul pulsed a little at the sight. The body was old enough that it and the soul had combined. A little over two months and the body was already wiggling about, whenever he checked it was always in a different position. At this point he was silently gushing as he caressed the barrier with both hands, his mouth in the shape of a soft smile, radiating love and affection.

“My, my, what an energetic little thing you are.” He cooed softly.

He was once again reminded the the child still was lacking a name. He’d decided a while back that a font name was a no go, the child would be more human than skeleton, it just didn’t feel right. Mulling over his problem for a bit, a suitable name popped into his mind. Hollow. He liked it.

“Hollow.” He said aloud, testing it. “Yes, my little Hollow.”

It felt right, so Hollow it was. He smiled as he lowered his shirt back down. There was one challenge dealt with. Now that he’d decided a name, the second, or maybe third, hardest part was over and done with.

 

Edna was no fool, nor was he unaware of the woman’s sharp observation skills. He was well aware of the glances she’d occasionally give him, and the growing attention to his middle and the new swell there. She never brought it up or even mention it, but she did make it known that she’d noticed it. For not it could be written off as the effects of actually eating properly. Now that he and Grillby were a couple, the elemental didn’t let him get away skipping meals.

The elemental in question had also noticed the new plumpness in his middle section, they were too cuddly for him not to have, but he’d never brought it up either. Thankfully it was small enough to hide from the casual observer. But how long would that last? Hollow’s body was five months along now, and he was expecting this to take between nine and ten months. By then there’s no way he could hide it, not even from a brief glance, even with his preference for sweater that were slightly larger than necessary. By seven months he’d be visibly showing.

He was driven from his thought by the speaker in his office buzzing.

“Dr. Gaster?” Toriel’s voice asked from the speaker.

She sounded distressed, like she might break out sobbing at any moment.

“Your majesty, what’s wrong?” He asked.

“It’s Sagore- the children made a pie and he had a slice. He started groaning and dry heaving soon after, then vomited shortly after, he’s gotten worse.” The normally calm and composed woman sobbed.

So it happened after eating a slice of pie.

“Do you know what type of pie it was that the two made?” He asked.

“Butterscotch.” She rasped.

Butterscotch… That explained it, one of the ingredients in the recipe called was cups of butter if memory served. The king had a garden of buttercups just outside the barrier, one of the only places where sunlight existed.

“I know what happened, I’ll be over shortly.”  
He ended the call after that and got up. He was now very, very glad his own children didn’t have access to a flower garden and a kitchen.

Asgore was not doing well. The blankets and sheets clung to his sweaty fur and mane, there were dark patches under his eyes and he was writhing in pain. Thankfully the king was nowhere near close to death, the children had not included enough of the deadly flowers to be fatal. First, he emptied the king’s stomach one more to be certain he could not ingest any more of the pie, then had him swallow an antidote. The effects weren’t immediate, Asgore’s expression was still one twisted with pain, but the antidote would clear his body of the poison.

He found Toriel in the kitchen, the pie in question still resting on the table. She looked up at him with worried eyes, but calmed down when she saw him nod.

“Asgore will be fine by tomorrow.” He told her. “The children included buttercups instead of cups of butter, probably it confused them. The plant is poisonous, thankfully they didn’t use too many.” 

“Thank you for helping,” Toriel said, shoulders relaxing. “I’ll make sure to talk to Asriel and Chara about it, they’ll be happy to know their father will be alright.”

“You’re welcome.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> one more chapter after this and then we move onto post-pacifist.


	15. Chapter 15

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Three souls died that night, two were grieved by the underground, the last was grieved by two.

“Oh for the love of- Gaster! Wake up!”

He was roused from his nap by the sound of someone shouting his name in the most exasperated tone of voice possible. Edna was standing next to him, a hand on his shoulder, expression the epitome of annoyance. She huffed when she realized he was now awake.

“Dr. Gaster, go home.” It wasn’t a bit of friendly advice, it was an order.

With the yellow drake monster walked out of his office, grumbling about something- probably him- under her breath. He groaned and shoved his face into one hand. This was thankfully only the first, hopefully only, time she’d caught him napping. But it wasn’t the first time it had happened. Even if he was doing better about actually getting a decent amount of sleep at night, he always ended up tired and usually fell asleep halfway through the day. This hadn’t happened before the accident, or even before he’d had a third child, so the only explanation was that it had something to do with his ‘situation’. With a sigh, he stood up and grabbed his coat. Might as well listen to his employee and go home, they didn’t need another safety hazard around.

 

Arriving home yielded a pleasant surprise; Sans and Papyrus out cold on the couch while a certain fire elemental sat in a recliner reading a book. Grillby hadn’t mentioned staying until he returned home, and with how late it was, it was unlikely he was planning on leaving. He noticed him as he crossed the threshold of the living room. He pointed at the stairs to indicate his intentions, the elemental nodded and went back to reading. Carefully he made his way up the stairs, quickly removing his coat and shoes at the top before continuing on to his room.

Closing the door behind him, he placed his things on and beside a cair and began removing his sweater for another more comfortable one. Many of his sweaters were starting to feel snug around his midriff. Hollow was getting bigger every day, so it wasn’t unexpected that clothes would start to fit differently. He hadn’t heard the door open, and was unable to notice because he was slipping his head through the neck hole. It was a very baggy, off-white turtleneck he used as a lounge shirt.

He noticed Grillby standing there in the doorway when he was prepared to yank the sweater down. The elemental’s hand was still on the doorknob, and his gaze was directed at his uncovered middle section, specifically, the human-monster fetus contained within a sphere of purple. He hastily yanked the sweater down, but it was too late to change the fact that his boyfriend had just seen his closely guarded secret.

“Shit!” He thought.

There was no BSing his way out of this.

“Gaster, what-“ Several loud knocks came from downstairs, cutting Grillby off.

There was the sound of feet scuffing against the floor, then the sound of the front door opening. Sans must have woken up and answered it.

“Dad!” His son called from below. “It’s a royal guard, the king needs you for something! Says it's really urgent!”

He slipped back into his shoes as he grabbed his coat off of the chair. This wasn’t over, the expression on Grillby’s face made that quite clear. They would be talking when he got back. Hurrying down the stairs, he found a pair of royal guards in standard uniform, Grillby close behind.

“I’ll back as soon as I can, Grillby’s in charge.” He said, following the guards.

“What happened? You two wouldn’t be here if it was trivial.” He demanded.

Lefty squirmed under his gaze, Righty remained quiet. If the two weren’t going to answer him, how was he going to be able to arrive and help?

“The human Child has fallen violently ill.” Righty finally answered.

Violently ill was too abstract a description. Still, he had a sinking feeling in his soul. His thoughts went to the talk he’d had with the child in his lab, then the buttercup incident. 

“Alright,” He began carefully. “You two go on ahead, there are things I need at the lab, if you two arrive before I do, let his majesty know I will be there as soon as can be.”

He teleported away before they could protest or even respond. He didn’t bother flipping on the light switch, he knew where everything was. When he arrived at the front door, Asgore ushered him into the children’s room, everyone inside was quiet. Chara was a piteous sight, even more than their adopted father had been. Sweat glued strang of their plain brown hair to their face and neck, there was a bit of moisture on their lip. Their thin brows were knit together in pain, some blood flecks stained their sheets and pillow, right near their mouth. Their breathing was labored by suffering.

He frowned. There were some human illnesses that cause the coughing up of blood, but there would have been symptoms beforehand. Toriel would have called him the moment she’d noticed something wrong with them. Still, he had to ask to be sure.

“Were they showing any signs of being unwell before now? Excessive coughing or sneezing, a temperature perhaps?” He asked.

Toriel vigorously shook her head, tears dripping from her chin.

“They were fine before.” She whispered.

Taking in a slow breath, he let his magic flow into their body to examine it. His frown worsened. Whatever it was that ailed them had attacked the stomach and kidneys worst, there was something foreign in the blood. Whatever it was felt dark and wrong, that it didn’t belong. Normally diseases didn’t feel completely foreign like this did, it made him question if it really was a disease.

“Unfortunately, there is nothing I can do beyond easing their suffering, this is unlike any disease I’ve encountered before.” He said. “I’m sorry, I can not save them.”

Asgore grimaced. Toriel pressed herself into her husband’s side, fully crying now. Asriel entered, maneuvering past his parents to their friend’s side. Guilt sparkled in his eyes just as much as sadness did. Once again he was reminded of the human's soul and it’s self-hate, as well as the buttercups.

“Please my friend, ease their suffering.” He heard Asgore say.

With a small nod and a sympathetic look, he complied. Asriel looked conflicted, there was something on his mind. It appeared as though he was torn between keeping quiet and blurting out something.

 

He didn’t feel like postponing his return home, even if it would put off a conversation he was not looking forward to having. So he teleported home like usual. Carefully opening the door so as to keep quiet, he didn’t know if his sons were asleep again or not, he quietly entered. Grillby was alone on the cough, attention on something else, perhaps lost in thought. Any hope of getting away unnoticed was dashed when the elemental looked over and locked eyes with him. Grillby waited patiently as he tossed his coat over a recliner and kicked his shoes off next to hit. There were no more minuscule tasks left to put off the talk.

“I have a lot of question, but I’ll start by asking what was that… life?” Grillby asked as they sat down.

At least he hadn’t called Hollow a thing. Where to start.

“What you saw is my their child, a half monster with a human soul.” He explained.

Grillby gave him a quizzical look.

“I accidentally created the soul when I had my accident, I didn’t realize it until the day you made me promise to see a doctor. It was the reason I was so tired and was having those episodes of pain- my body wasn’t sure what to do. It was wasting my magic trying to fight it off, and I couldn’t let that happen.

“Grillby, it was self-aware, it recognized who I was, what I was to it, I just couldn’t kill it. I was terrified, worried that if I let anyone know, it would be used to cross the barrier, or worse, my experiments would be replicated and souls would be produced for the sole sake of freedom. I just couldn't;t let that happen.

“I wanted to create a boy for them, but a monster body cannot house a human soul, it needs to be at least half human to work. And then the fallen child came. I used their blood and my own marrow to craft what you saw.”

He refused to look at the other out of fear, fear of what he might see in the other’s face, fear that the other would see how close he was to crying. He was taken aback when Grillby wrapped his arms around him.

“Gaster, I love you, and this is not going to change that.” The elemental said. “But good gods, tell me next time okay? I want to support and help you, but I can't-do that if you don’t tell me.”

It took a moment to sink in, the Grillby was okay with this and he didn’t have to have kept in a secret from him for so long. The metaforacle dam broke and suddenly he was crying, sobbing in a voice that was somehow no louder than a violent whisper. Grillby cradled his emotional partner, rocking him gently and just holding him until things calmed down.

Finally, he asked one final(and important) question.

“What’s the kid’s name?”

“Hollow, it took me over 5 months to come up with it too. New found respect for our king was discovered.”

“Heh, at least it’s better than ‘new home’.”

“Where are my other sons?”

“Asleep in their room, put them to be a little before you arrived.”

“…Good.”

 

Grillby was abruptly awoken by a dark feeling that crashed over him like a tidal wave. It felt like magic born from anger, dark and violent. It lasted for only a moment, then vanished leaving it’s quickly fading presence behind. A cry of pain cut through the room light a knife, it was Gaster’s voice. 

The skeleton’s arms were wrapped around his middle, face contorted with pain. Then the skeleton teleported away, leaving him alone in the dark living room unsure of what had happened. Then Sans and Papyrus burst into the room, both on the verge of tears and very frightened.

“Where's Dad?” Sans whimpered, cradling his shivering brother.

“Gone, whatever just happened hit him hard.” He said. “I’m going to go find him, stay here with your brother.”

Sans nodded and sat down on the couch. He hastily yanked on his shoes before almost flying out the door, almost not closing it behind him. He’d Grabbed Gaster’s bag without thinking. Something was wrong with Hollow. His partner had been clutching where the barrier containing the unborn child was, and given that moment of dark magic, it made some sense.

The streets were unusually dark, as were the homes with monsters who were clearly awake in them. The dark magic had done for then just scare people, it had disrupted the flow of power. That made it all the more likely that it had done something to Hollow.  
The magma in hotland made thing a little brighter, but it was a pain to navigate around when many of the puzzles were off in unfavorable positions. The lab was pitch black, his flickering flames the only light. He found Gaster in his office, crying out in pain and writing about in agony, arms tight around his middle.

“Gaster!” He called, rushing to his side.

The skeleton managed to crack one eye open just enough to reveal the blazing purple eye light. There was a glow coming from the other socket despite being shut tight.

“S-Something wrong –gahh- magic-“ He managed to choke out.

He lifted up Gaster’s sweater, and nearly recoiled. The barrier was convulsing, shrinking as if to crush the fragile life withing before expanding to its original size. The surface rippled and warped erratically. Gaster screamed, not in pain, but desperation, as though he could here Hollows pleas. He probably could.

The barrier simultaneously tried to expel and contain Hollow’s body. This was bad. Hollow’s body was too underdeveloped to survive outside yet, but if he didn’t shatter the barrier, Gaster and his child would die. He was faced with two equally painful situations; save Gaster or watch them both die.

“I’m sorry, Hollow.” He thought, making his decision.

There wasn’t time to wait for help, so he smashed the barrier and watch it dissolve into purple before ‘evaporating’. A dark blue soul rose from the body, beat once, then went dim and shattered.

“Hollow!” Gaster cried, scooping up the tiny, partially dusting body.

“No, no, no!” He wailed. “Oh god, no.”

“He brought his grieving partner to his chest as the skeleton sobbed. After a solid minute, the skeleton quieted, pulling away with empty eyes.

“… Thank you. You did what you had two, it was either my of neither, and my living sons need their father.”

 

He found Asgore withing his garden, the buttercups had almost all been replaced with a type of golden flower, perhaps the one Chara had mentioned. The king was so absorbed in his task of gardening that he hadn’t noticed the scientist's arrival. The king seemed to throw himself into gardening most days, the pain of lose was still heavy in his heart.

“You majesty.” He said.

Asgore stood up, visibly surprised to see him standing there at the edge of the garden.

“Gaster? Oh dear, did I forget a meeting again?” Asgore asked, pulling off his gloves.

He shook his head. “No, I came to talk to you not as the royal scientist, but as a friend.”

The king nodded.

“I’ll go make tea.” The boss monster said.

“It’s alright, I don’t plan on staying for too long, just for a short chat.” He discussed.

Taking a seat, he watched as Asgore pulled over a stool was for his size, was much too small, and sat down. It was normally amusing to see the king using things that were dwarfed by his size, but not right now.

“There’s something I need to tell you, something you need to know. I ask that you please don’t say anything until I am done.” He requested.

The boss monster gave him a curious look, but nodded none the less. “Alright, I will refrain from speaking until you are done.”

Staring at his hands for a moment, he took in a breath and looked at the king.

“You know the accident I had, almost a year ago?”

Asgore nodded.

“That day, I somehow created a soul, a human soul. I didn’t realize this until a month later, but when I saw it, I knew it was alive, aware even. It was my child, and I needed to protect it. I kept its existence a secret from everyone, fearing that if anyone knew, it would be taken and used to cross the barrier. Or worse, my experiment replicated just to create souls for the name of freedom.

“After the human fell, I used the sample of their blood to craft a half monster body for the soul. I continued to keep its secrets, but knew that as time went on, I might not be able to hide it any longer.”

It was hard to read Asgore’s expression, which normally wasn’t hard to do. The king wore his heart on his sleeve, so that even the smallest of children had an inkling of what he was thinking. Not now, when his face was simply passive.

“The child died, not too long after Asriel crossed the barrier. When he absorbed Chara’s soul, something happened. It disrupted the magic using to sustain the body, forcing it to be ‘born’ far too early to survive. “

Asgore’s eyes darkened.

“I am telling you this now, because I don’t want my experiments replicated, creating infantile souls just to be free is sick and horrifying.”

He waited for Asgore’s response.

“Stooping to the level of creating life only use it for free is indeed wrong, I promise you that it will never happen,” Asgore said, placing a hand on his. “I am sorry for your loss, it is always a tragedy when children are lost before their time.”

“Thank you for understanding.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This isn't the end. After all Chara didn't fade and Asiel became Flowey. Also holly boop this is the longest chapter I've ever written O.O


	16. Chapter 16

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The gears of fate are turning. A second arc is now in motion and soon all the pieces will be in place.

Frisk stared out at the night sky from their open bedroom window. The best part of living in a rural, suburban home was how clear the sky was and how pretty the stars. Unlike in the city, there was no light pollution to blotch them out from view. Coupled with the almost full moon, it was a breathtaking sight. If they hadn’t already had something they liked, they would have made this their phone’s wallpaper.

A stranger walked alone in the street, only a black silhouette despite the moonlight. There were no non-human features to the silhouette, like horns or ears to readily mark them as a monster. Still, the possibility was open. Shadows on the person’s chest(?) parted and caught the light, reflecting back with a polished, metallic sheen. They knotted their eyebrows together. The person was wearing armor, scales didn’t reflect light that way. Both humans and monsters rarely wore metal armor, Asgore only dons his for special occasions. Undyn wore armor, the kevlar kind that police officers used.

The person stopped walking, their head turning in their direction. The light illuminated a part of the person’s face, letting them catch a glimpse of a burning red eye, and forebodingly cruel smile. It was way different than flowey's grin, devoid of all kindness and warmth, this one made the soulless flower’s expressions look kind. The glimpse only lasted a moment before the stranger's face was once more covered completely by shadows, as though they’d never turned their head in the first place. The stranger began walking away.

They shuddered. Whoever that person was, they were bad news. Very bad news.

 

“Are you still here? Or have I been delusional this entire time, believing that you were still here?”

Moonlight, silver and clear, danced down from the hole in the cavern ceiling high above, giving the golden flowers an ashen complex. This was the place he always returned to, because this was where they supposedly resided. Their body at least, he knew was here. It was the reason the flowers had grown here in the first place, their sticky seeds had clung to both of their clothes when he’d ran away.

“I guess you really are gone, and I’m all alone.”

His petals drooped with a depressed sigh, his voice hopeless and defeated. He should have known, there was no way their conscience would persist, no matter how much determination they had. He truly was all alone.

Whoever said I was gone? I've been right here the entire time, at least after Frisk left.”

Flowey looked up. There they were, transparent and probably incorporeal, but right there in soulless glory. His best friend Chara.

“I’m sorry, it’s my fault we failed.” He says at last, petals still drooping.

Chara just shrugs. 

“I should have realized you were too kind at heart to sit by, what’s done is done.” They replied, squatting down in front of him.

Unlike him and his change of body, they hadn’t really changed, besides than hand full of yellow flowers scattered in their hair, they were the same as he remembered them last. Pale skin and red eyes.

“I want to say I’m glad to see you, but I can’t feel anything anymore, but even without a soul I missed you.” He said.

Chara patted him on the head, or tried to at least. Their hand fazed through his petals with each motion. The thought was nice.

“I wish there was a way to bring you back.”

“There is.”

“Really?”

Chara smiled and nodded.

“It’ll kinda be like when you absorbed my soul, only I’ll be the one affected, and we won’t exactly be sharing a body.” They explained.

“I don’t care.” He said. “As long as it brings you back, then I don’t care what happens or how we’ll end up. You’re all I’ve ever wanted, all I’ve ever thought about.”

“Alright then, when the moon is full we’ll leave this place together.” They agreed.

 

“Mama?”

His child looked up at him with those wide blue eyes he had. It was always comforting to look into them, he’d be alone if it wasn’t for him. Too bad it was going to end soon. But it was for the best.

“Are you okay?” His son asked.

“Yes.” He answered. “It’s almost time for you to go.”

His son’s shoulders sagged. “I don’t want to leave you.”

“I know my son. But I am unable to leave this place physically, and someone needs to help the child.” He said.

His son’s pale skin and white hair were a stark contrast to the black of the void, and the grays of the room they were currently in. The ash-colored door was still there.

“Will your friends be there?”

“Possibly. The fact that he survived what should have been certain death and now returns means that they could have survived.”

His son sat down into his gelatinous body and snuggled into the black good that made up his body. He was so young, and already he was preparing to have the fate of humans and monsters rest upon his shoulders. If there had been another way for him to do this, he would have gladly taken it.

“Sleep well my child, I will continue to watch over you, so you won’t be alone out there.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The events of the second arc take place in the post-pacifist ending where Frisk is unaware that Chara's conscious persisted after death.


	17. Chapter 17

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The calm before the storm, or maybe it's the calm before the hurricane.

The surface was a strange place, after living in the underground, and ‘there’, for so long. A giant yellow ball replaced the many lights of the underground, and the sky was so blue! It was a stark contrast to the cool cavern ceilings. And then there were the people. Most people, both human and monster, ignored him, a few did give him a second gook, but didn’t walk up to him. They didn’t question the presence of a small child in seemingly only an oversized sweater and beanie hat.

The bad man would be hiding, biding his time until the opportunity to strike arose and spark the fires of war once more. This gave him until nightfall to figure out what he was going to do. First, he had to find the freedom child; they would be his primary target. It shouldn’t be that hard to find a human child who was living with monsters, right? Staring at the sky, he pondered where to look first.

“Where did mama say their school was?” He wondered.

Welp, time to find a place that was really high up and start looking around.

 

“Who was that person?” They wondered for seemingly the hundredth time that hour.

In actuality, it was probably only the seventh time. Still, whoever that person was, their presence had made one thing clear; they were bad news.Not even scary goat mom mode Toriel was as frightening as they had been for that single moment. And that eye. They hadn't told anyone about the encounter yet, all they had was a gut feeling at this point. Maybe they should, just in case. With a quiet sigh, they filled in the answer to problem 5 and moved on to 6.

“How’s Flowey doing?” The wondered.

It had been almost a half a year ago since the day Flowey turned Asriel had destroyed the barrier.It had been weird to see a demented flower with a face become the kind prince of monsters, and then into the god of hyper death. How did a flower become a goat? Even with magic involved, it was still a bit mindboggling. It was sad they’d been forced to leave him all alone underground, but he insisted someone had to take care of the flowers. And they at the time didn’t have a way of carrying him out with everyone.

The idea of one day going back down there with a flowerpot was enticing. Then Asriel turned Flowey wouldn’t be all alone in the underground. And even if the couldn’t tell Toriel and Asgore who the talking flower really was, they could all be one happy family. Toriel was even finally warming back up to her ex-husband. They probably wouldn’t ever be a couple again, but becoming friends was a good alternative. Would that make Sans their dad? He was subtly pun flirting with the lady boss monster, and the two were very happy together, much to the dismay of anyone who hated puns(coughpapyruscouch). Thought, Sans was more of the weird funny uncle type.

They continued to do school work as they thought about family dynamics and all the possibilities the future might hold.

 

Something was different, but Sans couldn’t quite put a finger on it. It was like the calm before a really bad storm; when everything was deceptively calm and quiet, lulling you into a false sense of security. There hadn’t been a resent the moment they’d obtained freedom, so what was this uneasy feeling he was having?

Had a new anomaly appeared? Or maybe something like it? The would explain why things feel off, but that also meant that the thing in question wasn’t even remotely like benevolent little Frisk. That was, if it really was an anomaly. There was always the possibility it was a baseless unease and he didn’t have to worry. He brought up a hand to rub his nose ridge.

“Dad, what would you do if you were here?” He wondered not for the first time. “Heh, you’d probably already have this figured out, or at least keep it from eating up at you inside.”

Not for the first time he wished for his father to still be around, to still be alive. Or, at least that someone other than him remembered the man. But that was wishful thinking, and wishful thinking was useless.

“Well, all I can do for now is keep an eye open for anything strange.”

 

Alphys balked at the reading on the computer screen. What she saw made not damn sense; sharp spikes of magical energy all over town, with no pattern to indicate it was natural. There were a few lesser spikes in the underground, but those didn’t worrier her; they were tamer than the ones above ground.

The energy spikes happened most frequently in Frisk’s neighborhood and those surrounding it. The randomness of the spikes pointed to the cause being something that was alive and moving. And seemed to have an interest in Frisk. That scared her.

“I have a terrible feeling about this.” The thought.

Then the front door was kicked open.

“Alphys!” Undy shouted. “Remmy’s wife gave me dinner- chicken and vegetable soup!”

Her Girlfriend sounded in high spirits as always.

“That's nice of her, s-s-Shara’s soup is the best!” She responded.

“You bet!”

With one last glance at her computer monitor, she left the room to go help prepare dinner. She’d look into it more later.


	18. Chapter 18

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> And old foe returns; soulless and ready to start war anew. Death is avoided by the intervention of a stranger. 
> 
>    
> [this] = talking in Wing Ding  
> Marster = Monster Kid

“Yo! Hey, Frisk!” Marster called from down the hall.

They paused and waited for their arm-less friend to catch up, thankfully not even tripping once, but they did come close to it.

“I have a science test tomorrow and I need help studying, you’re a wizard at the stuff, wanna come over and help me study?” They asked, complete with a bow.

“Sure, I need help with math anyway.” The responded.

“Aww yes! Thanks, Frisk, I promise to help you understand those pesky numbers!”

 

The route from their house to the school was 10 minutes on a good day, 15 tops on a bad one. But there were plenty of ally like places that a person could hide unseen in. He made note of them as he walked down the sidewalk, sleeve cuffs and bottom hem of his sweater held up to keep from trailing on the ground. None of them seemed like good places to jump the fallen child. The bad man knew how sensitive to loved ones souls monsters could be, and the child had at least 6 very strong monsters attuned to their soul. He’d need a place farther away, somewhere that their sensitivity would be weaker and their family wouldn’t realize immediately that they were in danger.

So where would he strike? While he pondered all of these complex thoughts he arrived at the front of the school. Chestire elementary. There were still 30 minutes before the final bell rang and no one was outside at the moment. Without thinking, the young child scampered over to the playground. The yellow buses would arrive beforehand to let him know when to hide, besides, he was only a small child, easily looked over. He had probably 20 -25 solid minutes of goofing around time.

He’d follow them home, out of sight. Once they were home they’d be safe. Even if mama hadn’t said he needed to hide himself he wasn’t too keen on letting them know he was there. Maybe later in the week, but not today. Sitting atop the slide, he thought about the parent that he called ‘mama’. It wasn’t fair that he could move around freely while mama was trapped inside of the black space and gray room, only able to peer into this world from there. But mama was broken, his soul shattered to pieces in an accident a long time ago. And even though he had all the pieces together, he’d stay trapped, alone and forgotten, on the edge of existence just outside of reality.

“Maybe big brother or the yellow monster can help mama.” He thought.

That was a question for another time. When would he get the chance to think about it again? Probably not for a long time.

 

Frisk made sure to stop by Toriel’s room before leaving with their monster friend. They needed to tell her where they were going so she didn’t panic and call them frantically later.

“Mom, I’m joing Marster at their house for a study session.” They said, poking their head into the classroom.

“Alright my child, just please be home before it gets too dark, alright,” Tiriel replied as their adopted child ducked back into the hallway.

“Will do!” They called back over their shoulder.

Clutching their backpack straps, they joined Marster at the main entrance and the two exited the building together. To Marster’s house from the school was a 30-35 minute walk, depending on how bad the traffic was(there were several intersections on the way). The time it took them to walk straight to their house from the monster kid’s was 40 – 45 minutes, sometimes even a full hour if it was bad.

 

When the buses arrived, he teleported into the oak tree nearest the double doors at the front of the building. People rarely looked up, and the leaves helped hide him from view. He watched the human child in question exit the building accompanied by an armless lizard monster with a cont tail for counterbalance. His own long, skeletal tail twitched in its place wrapped around the branch he was perched on.

Oh no.

The human and their companion were headed in the direction that was most certainly not in the direction of the human’s home. They were heading farther away from those who were not him who would notice if any danger befell them. He’d have to follow them and keep an eye out, the pair were probably heading over to the monster kid’s house. This was not good, if they tried to go home alone, the bad man would have a perfect opportunity to attack.  
“Well, this sucks.” He thought, teleporting to the roof of a nearby building.

Now if only his blasters didn’t attract attention, then he could have followed them while riding atop one of the floating skulls. Unfortunately, he couldn’t, so that left him teleporting from roof to roof as he followed the two home.

 

The child was a fool. He’d really lucked out when the human and monster children walked in a direction that was not the human’s home. Their path was ripe with places to hide too! And to think all it would take to strike up some war sparks was to kill the kid, the brat that freed the monsters from their underground prison.

Crimson eyes observed their every movement as he followed from the shadows. These back alleys were harder to navigate than the ones he was used to, but he managed. A grin split his mouth wide open, an expression devoid of kindness and warmth, dripping with cruelty that came with LOVE as high as his. The child had a red soul, like his own had been when he still had it. Their determination would be an annoyance, their soul was weak, only at LV 1. It evened out in the end.

And once the war began, there would be no monster loving mages to turn traitor and save monsters from extinction in the end. This world had forgotten the existence of magic before the monster returned, he would make sure it didn’t happen again. Now all he had to do was wait for a ripe opportunity to strike, their blood would wash his blade.

 

“Friiiik!” They groaned, collecting their things and stuffing it into the backpack haphazardly.

They’d reorganize it when they got home and endured one of Toriel’s scoldings. Being chewed out by goat mom was not something they were looking forward to.

“You want one of my parents to drive you home?” Marster offered. “It's no trouble at all, they’re offering.”

“It’s okay, I’ll be fine. My phone still has more than enough power to make a call.” They said, swinging on their backpack.

“Alright then, see you tomorrow!” They said, closing the door behind their friend.

Goat mom would be sooo angry at them when they finally got home.She said to be home before it got dark, and it was well past nightfall! They’d be lucky if she didn’t ground them worse than coffee after giving them a lecture! They hurried down the street, the only light they had came from the streetlights spaced evenly along the road. Thoughts buzzed along in their head as they made their way down past the dark buildings. After the first crosswalk, it felt like someone was following them, but there was no one behind them every time the turned around to check. They just shrugged and resumed running home. The prospect of having a warm dinner waiting for them did fill them with determination. Everything was quiet, besides the distant car noised and the pitter patter of their shoes on concrete.

Oh and the ‘shomp shomp’ of boots too. Wait, the sound of boot on the pavement? What the-

The turned around just in time to see someone come at them will a full-sized broadsword. They ducked and rolled to the side just in time to avoid being sliced in two vertically. The sword’s metal chimed out as its edge was buried into concrete, leaving a small rivet in the stone. Their attacker came at them again, sword raised for a downstroke this time. They rolled out of the way again, suddenly very thankful for the time spent dodging magic attacks while traversing the underground. Particularly running from Undyn.

“Tch, fast little brat, let's see you try avoiding this!” They growled.

They narrowly missed being pelted with magic bullets a deep red in color, one coming dangerously close to clipping their right leg. Their soul dropped in horror. Magic pointed to them being a monster, but they didn’t look like any they’d seen before. The last of the human mages had died centuries ago, taking the art of magic with them.

Their attacker stepped into the light, removing the shadows that had obscured them not too long ago. A human with glowing red eyes and old styled battle armor stood with their weapon in their right hand. The completer version of the grin they’d seen last night was plastered on the person’s face, On the right breastplate was an insignia of some sort. It looked old, like a kingdom’s crest.

“Now you die!” The person( a man? Their voice was deep) said, raising their weapon.

“[Denied!]” A young voice shouted, followed by a few fast moving bones.

Their attacker was sent crashing into a wall, armor rattling with the impact. A small child jumped down from the top of a building and landed with a quiet ‘cliter’ like a bone hitting the ground.

 

Toriel was concerned. No, she was more than concerned, she was downright worried at this point. She’d told Frisk to be home before it got dark, and it was well past that point already. She’d called Marster’s parents already, they’d told her the child had left not long after nightfall.

So where were they now?

“Ease up there Tori, Frisk’ll be fine, they managed to make it to Asgore down in the underground after all.” Sans said.

She gave the short skeleton a skeptical look. He had a point, the child had traversed the underground on their own. But she’d already lost two children, her nerves refused to settle down.

“I know you have a point, but I just can’t not worry.” She confessed with sigh.

Her already tense nerves screamed the moment a dark and terrifying feeling washed over them. Followed by the panic-inducing sensation of Frisk’s soul being threatened.

“You felt that too.” Sans said. “That came from over near Mar’s house!”

 

Their attacker heaved themselves up from the ground and glared at the kid. Their small savior in question was, in fact, a kid that looked even younger than they did, dressed in a pure blue sweater that reached the ground, sleeves and all.  
“You little Bastered!” Their adult attacker spat.

“[Wow, how creative- not.]” The kid said something an a language they didn’t recognize.

And by the confused look from their attacker, they didn’t understand the kid either.

“You may have gotten a hit it by using surprise, but it won’t happen again!.” The mage( they used magic and looked like a bonafide human) hissed. “I will not be bested by a fucking child!”

The mage came at them both with a combination of red bullets and sword slashes. The kid raised a barrier alongside a wall of bones, the barrier deflected the bullets as the bone wall absorbed the mages slashes, giving them something to cut through.

“[Don’t worry, Frisk,” The kid spoke, looking straight at them with a sidelong look. “[Your family will be here soon, he should run before they arrive.]”

The kid’s eyes were black with blue irises and white pupils. A soft blue glow emitted from them, a similar color to the glow Sans’s own eye glowed. The light of the mage’s spells gave their snowy colored hair a haunting scarlet hue. The kid collapsed the bone wall, then summoned more bones, turning this into a bullet hell.

The mage was knocked around quite a bit as bones crashed into them from all sides in complicated patterns. After a final volley, the bones stopped coming and the kid lowered the barrier. The mage paused, looking at the sky, then shot them a final glare before running off.

“[Bye, bye Frisk, see you again sometime.]” The kid said.

They teleported away, leaving them alone in the street, the destruction around the only proof of what had just transpired. Then Toriel, with Sans hot on her heels, emerged from the darkness. The goat lady promptly scooped her child up into her arms and began codling them as Sans assessed the damage.

“Well kid, seems like you had quite the experience just now.” He commented, then poked at a sone shard with a slippered foot. “Someone got a bone to pick with you, or something?”


	19. Chapter 19

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The questions are staking up, and no one can seem to find any answers. At least troubled minds find some peace in coming together.

“Can you describe your attacker in detail for me sweety? And any detail, no matter of minuscule you think it is will be helpful.” The sketch artist said.

They nodded, It would be hard to forget the faces and features of the two, especially their attacker.

“There looked like an adult, possibly male- their voice was somewhat deep. They were about your hight, dressed in clothes that looked like something from a history book- old, with a plate mail chest plate and arm guards.They were a bit muscular than the average person, and swung around a broadsword like it was a stick.” They described.

At the mention of the broadsword, the woman gave them a raised eyebrow, but didn’t say anything. Obviously, their attacker had looked like they’d stepped out of a museum's mideavle history exhibit.

“They had a defined jaw and cheekbones with fare features. I didn’t get to see how long their hair was exactly, but it was pulled back into a ponytail, most of they had little in the way of bangs. Oh! And on their chest plate was this weird crest-thingy. It had three triangles all forming a circle with the tips facing inward, there’s a circle around the triangles and a star at the center.”

The lady was quiet for a bit as she finished up the sketch she’d been working on. There was the soft sound of pencil scratching against paper. Once she was done, she showed them the finished product, and besides the smile not being as terror-inducing, it was accurate. They gave her a nod.

“Alright, can you give me their coloring?” She asked.

“Their skin was pale, hair looked like it was a dark brown, their eyes… a blood red.”

The woman gave them a warm smile and jotted that down.

“Alright, and the person who stepped in to save you?” She asked.

“They looked like a child that was oh… around four of five, they barely reached the bottom of my ribs and had rounded feature coupled with big eyes. They had on a hat, so I can’t be sure how that they really were, and they also had on a sweater that reached the ground. Their hair was really fluffy, like a dog monster’s fur, and their bangs were long enough to reach past their nose.”

“Alright, now coloring?”

“They were paler than my attacker, with white hair…” They paused and thought for a moment. “They had blue eyes, only the white and black parts were switched.”

The woman crinkled his brow.

“You sure about that sweety?” She asked.

They nodded.

“Alright, thank you for your cooperation, you’re free to go now.” The woman said, standing up.

They bolted over to the skeleton brothers. They had to tell the two about the kid, they just had to.

“I need to talk to you guys- alone.” They said quickly.

“Alright kiddo,” Sans replied.

“THAT’S ALRIGHT WITH ME,” Papyrus said in his usual loud voice.

“Hey, Tori!” Sans called.

The lady boss monster turned from the officer she’d been talking with to face them.

“Papy and I are going to take the kid home” he explained.

“Oh, alright, make sure they get dinner.” She replied.

“’Kay.”

“So, what is it you want to tell us?” Sans asked the moment they were out of earshot.

“The thing that just happened to me was weird to the tenth power.” They replied.

“Care to elaborate?”

“YES HUMAN, WHAT DO YOU MEAN?”

“My attacker used magic.”

The brothers gave them a look that could only be described as ‘whoa whoa, wait what?’.

“Hehe kid, you really know how to joke, quit pulling our funny bones.” Sans said.

“I’m not joking, they really did use magic.”

“BUT ALL HUMANS CAPABLE OF MAGIC VANISHED CENTURIES AGO, RIGHT?” Papyrus said.

“I thought so too, but apparently they didn’t all vanish.” Sans replied.

“My savior used magic too, bone magic.

“WAIT- WHAT?!” the two exclaimed in unison.

They gave Frisk chocked expressions of disbelief.

“ONLY A SKELETON CAN USE BONE MAGIC, AND THOSE THEY’VE MENTORED.” Papyrus said.

“Yeah, and there aren’t too many skeletons out there either.” Sans agreed.

“The kid had strange eyes, they were like sans’s, only with blue irises.” They added.

Papyrus looked perplexed, Sans grinned wider.

“Let me guess, the kid also had white hair.” The shorter skeleton guessed.

They nodded.

“SANS, DO YOU KNOW THE PERSON?”

“Na bro, but the kiddo said they looked kinda like a skeleton, so white hair was an educated guess.”

They were a bit hesitant to bring one final thing up, but the brothers were their best shot at getting an answer.

“They also spoke in their weird language.” They said, then imitated the noise as best they could.

Sans froze, his eye lights going out and his usual grin became grim. Papyrus looked somewhat dazed, as if going through a bout of da Ja Vu. They tilted their head to the side and waited for the two to finish processing.

“I FEEL LIKE I’VE HEARD SOMEONE SPEAK LIKE THAT BEFORE, BUT I CAN NOT REMEMBER WHERE.” The taller brother said.

“Y-yeah, I get the feeling I know it from somewhere, but can’t quite put a finger on it.”

They knew Sans was lying, or at least, not telling the completer rought. He’d spoken while his eye lights were still out. The older skeleton never did that normally. They weren’t sure what it was he was hiding, but they were determined to find out.

 

It was fascinating to watch all the humans gather so quickly, Like mother rushing to a light! They stayed to make sure Frisk was okay. Their soul ached when the goat lady had picked them up, mama would do that too. They’d frozen when they saw the two skeleton monsters arrive; one tall and the other short.

The tall one had some of mama’s features, before the accident. The smaller one did too, but they were less noticeable with his smaller size. Once they left with the human, he left too. Frisk would be fine now, as long as they weren’t alone. Now it was time to go check on the talking slower and big sib. And check to see if mama’s door was there.

 

Blast that brat! How dare they intervene and ruin his plans! The small child was an oddity, humanity had forgotten magic eons ago. And despite monsters returning to the surface, it was still an enigma. They’d also used skeleton magic, normally only those types of monster knew it. They rarely taught even other monsters how to cast it.

Then there was that language. During the war, there’d been a monster infamous for his magical power, and for the fact he never killed. The damn skeleton spoke either with his hands or in that strange language that not even all monsters understood.

“Even from beyond the grave, you four are still finding ways to hinder my goals. "First, you alter my spell with your intentions, not you spite me with a child that has relations to that skeleton bastard!”

He’d have to be ready for the brat next time. They’d made it clear they were protecting the human, and had many a trick to use. But he was not one to lose so easily to tricks already used once on him, the kid wouldn’t have surprised the second time they fought.

 

“Dad… I know you’re related to this, somehow. That kid who saved Frisk, they spoke your font- Wing Ding.”

Sans ran a hand over the crown of his skull. That day was impossible to forget. He remembered so clearly how it had started off as any other day, and how quickly it turned into a living nightmare. They’d been at Grillby’s, like always. After their dad and the owner with the same name had gotten together, they’d practically started living there half the time.

Something had gone wrong, the core almost had a meltdown. One moment everything was fine, and then the next his father had been erased from existence. His own memories and the countless notes written in this font were all that remained as proof of that lost existence. He’d moved to Snowdin with Papyrus years later when he was old enough to be a sentry, both to be as far away from a house that only filled him with pain, and to be closer to the monster who’d taken up the role as a second father.

He paused and looked around, while lost in his thoughts, he walked all the way to Grillby’s new place on the surface. There was a light on, shining out softly from the window. The fire monster in question was inside, seated on one of the bar’s stools, looking at something. He might as well go inside and talk, that might ease some of the tension in his bones.

“Knock, Knock.” He said, opening the door.

Grillby didn’t reply, probably hadn’t even heard him. The elemental had his back to him, one hand looked to be holding his head by the way it was angled. It looked as if he was holding something in front of him, but it was impossible to see what.

He walked up next to the monster and took a seat on the closest stool to his left. Grillby was holding a photo, it's edges yellow with age. He still couldn’t quite see what was on it, the light providing enough glare to keep the image a secret still.

“”Sup’ Grillby.” He said.

The fire monster looked over.

“Oh, Sans. I wasn’t expecting to see you at this late an hour.” Grillby responded.

“Eh, I was in the neighborhood and saw the light on, felt like coming in for a chat.” He explained with a shrug. “So, what’s that you're looking at?”

“An old photo, from a time when things were different.”

He leaned over a bit to finally get a clear look at the picture. He froze at what he saw. It really was an old photo, back from when they were all still trapped underground. And when he and Papyrus were still a kid and his baby brother. Grillby was sitting next to their father, Gaster, the latter had fallen asleep with his head resting on the former. He was asleep in his dad’s arms while Papyrus sat in The elemental’s lap. It had been taken by a family friend just days before the accident.

“D-Dad! But how?”

Grillby looked surprised when he uttered those words. Clearly, ha hadn’t realized someone else remembered.

“You, you still remember him?”

“Yeah, I thought I was the only one.”

The fire monster’s shoulders sagged. 

“I thought so too, it seemed we were both wrong.”

“Yeah, big time.”

He wasn’t sure whether to start laughing or crying, so he ended up doing both. It felt like a heavy weight had just been lifted from his shoulders after so many years. He wasn’t the only one who remembered! He wasn’t alone. And it just so happened that the one other person who remembered was his unofficial another dad.


	20. Chapter 20

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Four friends make the decision to save an entire race from their own, at the expense of their lives. Also, just who is this kid?

“You can’t be serious- He can’t do that!” Naui shouted. “He might be a well-respected member of the mage community, but even he can’t just go around doing this like that!”

Aruin’s expression remained a tight grimace.

“Unfortunately, I’m dead serious. When he presented his plan to the council, they quickly agreed.” He said.

“So they're just going to go along with a plan to murder all monsters, sealing their dust under Mt. Ebott?” Kaimeer demanded. “Why?!”

“Fear, most people in positions of power or authority are afraid of monsters, as is more of the population. He’s simply using that fear to get what he wants.” Hydel pointed out. “But for a spell of that caliber, you’d need at least a couple hundred powerful, well-trained mages.”

“He plans on only using seven, himself and six others. He said that’s all he’d need to carry it out..” Aruin replied.

“What?!” The other three exclaimed.

“But then all the casters would die! Is the council really willing to order people to their death.?” Naui asked, bewildered.”

“Not order, the other six are to be willing volunteers who know the full consequences of their decision, but are willing to do so anyway,” Aruin answered grimly. “I wouldn’t put it past him to ‘covice’ all the people he needs.”

“So this is how the war end?” Kiameered asked, hopelessness as thick as honey in their voice. “A genocide spell as the cost of seven lives? Is there no way to stop it?”

“We can’t stop the casting, but…” Aruin hesitated, unsure.” “There might be a way to change the outcome. The cost will remain the same, seven lives. But the spell would no longer be the same, it would no longer be a genocide.”

“Really?” Naui asked hesitantly.

“Yes, if enough of the casters who participate do not share the same intentions as the others, do not wish to kill monsters, then the spell should change as well. Magic, after all, is affected by the intent of the caster’s heart.”

A silence settled over the room. Aruin had already made his decision once he’d thought up the idea. The others were a different story.

“So,” Kaimeer started carefully. “If the four of us participate, then we could save his race?”

Aruin nodded.

“I’m in.” Naui said. “After the war is over, there’s no telling what will become of us monster lovers, I’d rather go out trying to save monsters, rather than potentially burn at the stake.”

Kaimeer and Hydel nodded in agreement.

“Naui’s right, there’s a no telling what will happen to us.” Hydel agreed. “Besides, Gaster’s our friend. It wouldn’t be just to stand by and watch as he and his race died.”

“Gaster… our friend… I doubt he’d just let us participate, giving how he feels about us.” Kaimeer mused, putting word to the thoughts they’d all had in the back of their minds. “I won’t be surprised if he forces us to hurt our friend before trusting us enough to volunteer.”

“Then… then it’s what we have to do.” Aruin said.

“It’s, only right we tell him the truth though. He’s our friend after all.” Hydel replied.

A grim darkness settled over them. No matter what they had to do, they were determined to do it, this had to be done. For not just the sake of monsters, but humans as well. They would act and sacrifice all they could, even their precious friendship if it came down to it.

 

“Hello!”

Chara and Flowey spun around to see who it was that had spoken. And were taken aback by surprise at the sight of a little kid squatting at the edge of the flower patch. The one facing towards the tunnel's entrance. They looked way to calm and happy for a person in the same room as a soulless ghost and flower. Also, what was up with the kid’s eyes?

“Kid, who the fuck are you? And what are you doing down here?” Chara asked, deadpanning.

“I’m not important, I just teleported down here to check on your progress.” The kid chirped. “Ya know, to see how far you two have come along.”

“What the- you teleported here? Like smiley trash bag?” Flowey demanded.

The kid tilted their head to one side in universal blatant confusion.

“Who?”

If Flowey had hands, his face would be in them right now to accompany the groan he was letting out. He didn’t even have the leaves to imitate it. Darn.

“The smaller skeleton, Sans.”

The kid made an ‘ohh’ sound of understanding and nodded. Getting a better look at them only enforced, as well as enhanced, their weirdness. They appeared to only have on an oversized sweater that reached the ground, as well as a goofy beanie that covered most of their head. Tufts of white hair floofed out from beneath the hat, with tufts that acted as bangs sticking out. They did a good job of hiding the kid’s eyes. Those eyes weren’t human, with black under blue irises and white pupils like a skeleton’s eye lights. They were also paler than Chara, who was as pale as you’d normally get, looking almost like a corpse.

“Why are you here kid?” Chara repeated. “And just how much of our plan do you know?

The kid gave them a knowing look, but didn’t answer the questions.

“Do you care about the human Frisk?” They asked instead. “Would you be upset if they died?”

“Yeah, I care about the goofball to a certain agree. They showed me the good in humanity, that we aren’t all just cruel and spiteful at heart.” Chara admitted.

“I care about them as much as I can for a soulless flower. I wouldn’t be okay if something happened to them.” Flowey answered. “But what does that have to do with anything?”

“Frisk is in grave danger, they might be murdered and used to ignite another war between humans and monsters.” The kid answered, their once cheerful expression was now far too serious for someone who looked younger than 6.

“W-what? Someone wants to murder them?” Chara demanded, no longer composed.

The kid nodded.

“An old enemy from the first war has returned somehow, defying death. He’s already made an attempt on their life once now, and will undoubtedly try again in the near future. I was able to save them using the element of surprise, but not that he knows about my existence, I won’t be so lucky.” The kid explained. “I am powerful, but against a veteran mage, I have no chance of winning.”

“Mages died out a long time ago, taking the concept of magic down with them.” Chara pointed out.

“I just told you; he’s from before that happened. What’s more, not that he is soulless, his cruelty knows no bounds. As a child, against an adult like that, I will lose.” They said.

“He soulless? I didn’t mishear that, right.” Flowy asked.

The kid nodded.

“Mhm, his soul was once red with determination. The same as frisk's is, and Si- Chara’s once was.”

Chara narrowed their eyes. Si? Was the kid about to say sister or something? It was clear it was directed at them, but they hadn’t left behind any siblings. So just who was this kid?

“Well, I should go now.” The kid said suddenly, getting up. “See you both again after the full moon- Frisk and the dreemoo’s miss you two.”

The kid teleported, leaving behind a flower and their dead best friend very flabbergasted as to what the fuck just happened exactly.

 

Standing in front of the building called ‘Grillby’s’, they peered in through the side window. There were a lot of people, not just monsters, but humans too. They were all sitting in the same room, eating, drinking, talking, playing card games against themselves and other(How does the lesser dogy do it?). It was proof that the two species could get along, they weren’t so different.

The familiar fire monster was behind the bar, cleaning glasses. He was with Sans and the two were talking, the latter pausing occasionally to down a bit of something red. Both looked contempt. That’s good, mama will be happy to know. Both were important people to him. Now to go check on Pap, then mama will be extra happy when he sees him again.

Lingering, they stared at the scene a few moments longer with a bittersweet happiness. Tearing his eyes away from the window, they began moving. They looked up and watched the clouds drifting by like lazy snow poffs against a backdrop of bright blue. If things had gone differently, and certain events didn’t happen, would they have he have still gotten the chase to see the sky?


	21. Chapter 21

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Space shenanigans can be confusing, at least these four are nice people.

Frisk wasn’t sure where in the world they were now, but it sure as hell wasn’t their room. The blackness extended forward in every direction, even what felt like up and down. It made things extremely trippy, they knew they were standing, or at least believed they were, but it was hard to tell where the ground was.

“Hu? What are you doing here?”

They looked up. Standing in front of them was an adult human, they looked very surprised to see them.

“I have no idea.” They answered. “Where am I exactly?”

“A pocket space, or something like that, I’m not sure exactly. Odd, Aruin and Kaimeer said it should be impossible for anyone to enter.” They said, that last part sounded more to themselves.

They studied the person. The stranger was taller than they were, with semi-medium length golden brown hair that complimented their amber eyes. They were dressed very strangely. They had on a white cotton shirt with long sleeves and dark pants. The designs were nothing like the modern era stuff people now wore, it reminded them of the get up their attacker had on. Their hands were clad in dark leather gloves aged with wear and tear, like they’d been used in several fights. Their boots were also strange, and looked as if they’d been walked in for miles.

“What’s your name?” They asked.

“Hmm? Oh, I’m Naui.” They answered. “Sorry Frisk, I forgot this is our first time meeting.”

They were taken aback by the use of their name. They’d never met the person before, nor did it look like they kept up with the media, so how did they know their name?

“H-how do you know my name?” They squeaked.

“Ahh crap!” Naui cursed. “I forgot I look weird to modern people. Err, let’s just say I know many things, like how-“

“Naui!” A voice called from the darkness. A second adult materialized from out of it.

“Aruin! Great timing, I really need your help defusing this situation!.” Naui said.

Aruin rolled their eyes. Then their gaze fell on them, those eyes narrowed.

“When did Frisk get here?” Aruin demanded.

“How the heck am I supposed to know? I’m not sure how they got here, and they aren’t sure how they got here!” Naui defended.

Aruin groaned.

Aruins clothes were stuck in that similar way the meant the two probably originated from the same time, but that was all they shared. Aruin’s hair was longer, making their indigo eyes stand out more. Their robes were royal purples and violets under a dark cloak paired with dark boots, not a worn as Naui’s. Tucked under an arm was a huge encyclopedia-like book.

Now that they thought about it, the two reminded them of the fallen children and the idem’s they’d left behind.

The orange soul had used gloves as a weapon while the purple one had the torn notebook. Did the pair’s souls match up in color as well?

“Frisk.”

Snapping out of their thoughts, they looked up at Aruin.

“Unfortunately I’m still unsure how you got here, I’m sorry about the confusion. Though, I’m not surprised because of Naui, he’s terrible at explaining things.” Aruin said.

“Hey! I’m great at explaining things!” Naui shot back.

Aruin glared at him. They shut him up.

“Here’s a better explanation; we once had ties to the barrier, back before Asriel destroyed it. Because of those ties, we know all about your adventures in the underground, and about most things that happened before then.” They explained.

“What he said.” Naui replied.

Somehow, they knew ‘we’ wasn’t just referring to the two adults standing before them.

“Speak of the devils now.” Naui said.

“So you two finally come and join us.” Aruin added.

Two others emerged from the darkness, both in clothes similar to Naui and Aruin’s. One was clothed in brown from their long sleeved short tunic and pants, to the elbow length leather gloves on their hands.Their platinum blond hair was just a little longer than Naui’s, their eyes pale aqua eyes sparkling.They had a bow in one hand, but no quiver of arrows.

The other was dressed in robbers almost exactly like Aruin’s. with a green motif instead of purple. Their cocoa brown hair a similar length as well. But unlike Aruin’s more reserved eyes, their eyes were a forest green than was brimming with warmth and kindness. They had a long, elegantly crafted wooden staff in one hand.

“The one with the bow his Hydel, he, like Naui, is a rare breed of heroic stupid. Kaimeer’s the one next to him. They will probably be one of the kindest humans you ever meet.” Aruin said.

“It’s heroic awesome, not heroic stupid.” Hydel corrected.

Aruin rolled his eyes.

“Hydel, you and Naui got the stuffing beat out of the two of you on several different occasions. Aruin countered.

“Now, now, both of you, not while Frisk is present please.” Kaimeer pacified.

“Besides, Naui and Hydel are like monsters, they have big hearts that make them unable to ignore the suffering of others.”

“You know about monsters?” They asked.

“Yeah, but our opinions of them differed greatly for the masses.” Naui answered. “It's unfortunate really, how things ended the way they did. Monsters didn’t deserve what they got.”

They crinkled their brow. The way those four talked was off, it was as if…

“You four were alive during the war between humans and monsters, maybe even were four of the seven who sealed them underground. And died in the process.” They said.

“Pretty much, except for maybe that last part. The Jury’s still out how dead we actually are.” Hydel said.

“Yeah, but we loved monsters too much to just let them all die, it was the reason we were so willing to go behind his back and spare them from a different fate.” Kaimeer added.

Spare monsters from a different fate? What did they mean by that? And who was it that they defied by changing fate? Did it have something to do with not wanting to let all of monster kind die?

“If you want to know the details about our decision, Grillby should have the answers, he does know the full truth. He’ll remember what Asgore has forgotten.” Naui said.

“It’s time for you to leave. Be cautious, Frisk, he is still after you, and still very dangerous. You might have our friend’s youngest son acting as your guardian, but even he is no match for a mage powered by determination.” Aruin warned them.

 

Waterfall is a nice place, but it’s better when there are actual people. Sure, it’s fun and all to say things and have the echo flowers repeat them back(no he did not say butt near one, nope, that was a different white-haired kid). But it got boring after a while when you had to change the recordings yourself. It was always way more exciting to hear what people’s wishes were, or the snippets of someone’s passing conversation.

The gray door appeared a lot more frequently now that the barrier was gone, and stayed for longer periods of time. He could still remember a time when he’d have to wait weeks for the door to reappear because he’d lost track of time. Pushing the ashen door open, he sprinted inside to his goopy parent.

“Mama!”

His mamas’s void good was just as how he remembered it; a mix between wet and dry that never actually got you wet. Except for the black good that dripped from Mama’s eyes and mouth occasionally. That stuff died away quickly, not leaving a stain behind.

“How have you been?” Mama asked. “I wasn’t expecting to see you so soon, my child.”

“I’ve been good. I talked to big sib earlier, they and Asri Flowey have started. Oh- and I saved the human Frisk! I spoke in your special speech so he wouldn’t understand me.” He recounted.

“So, he had started his attacks, are you alright?

“I’m alright Mama, I had him surprised, I stalled for time.”

“Be careful next time then, now you no longer have the element of surprise.”

“I will, I promise!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter; sh*t hit's the fan.


	22. Chapter 22

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Frisk is an impatient child who acts before thinking, thankfully Sans likes them too much to be left in danger, but what is the child's reason for protecting them?

Going into the strange pocket space had ended up being a dream, or maybe it had been through sleep that they’d entered it in the first place. At least the four… mages? At least their names were memorable enough to leave an impression.They lazed about for the entire minute they had before their alarm started blaring out the opening theme to their favorite anime. Ahh, the pride Sans would feel if he knew how much of a lazy bones they were at heart.

Reaching out blindly, they fumbled around with the plastic-encased device until their pointer finger found the snooze button, ending the epic music mid-chorus. Hefting themselves out of bed, they stumbled over to their dresser. They pulled out their iconic blue and purple sweater, at twelve years old they were still young enough by monster standards to wear them, but old enough to feel like a big kid while doing so.

Aruin had said Grillby would have the answers, if they wanted them(which they did). But what did Aruin mean by their friend’s youngest son acting as their guardian? Did he mean the kid who’s saved them before? If that was the case, then the other person he’d mentioned must have been their attacker. Would Grillby know about the two as well?

Well, there was only one way to find out; ask the fire elemental himself. After school, it was still a work day, and Toriel would not let them miss a day of school if they were fine. Also, school was one of the safest places to be, so getting attacked didn’t warrant a day off.

“Kid,” Sans called from the other side of their closed door. “I’m walking you to school today, Toriel’s orders. She's a bit paranoid after the incident last night.”

“Okay!” Frisk replied.

 

He watched Frisk and their companion skeleton leave the house from his perch on the top of a nearby pine tree. Good, don’t leave the human alone outside, unless it was a well-populated place. He was still lurking around, waiting for the next chance to attack. The bad man was known for determination and cruelty, not patients. He still followed the two anyway, three were stronger than two. And although Sans was powerful, the alternative timelines were proof of that, they also proved that he wasn’t the best in long, drawn-out battles. His stamina was just too poor. 

Te bad man was far, far worse than a child acting on curiosity. He was trained in both fighting and magic, and had the stamina to last hours on end if he had to. Even if his high LOVE and EXP meant Sans’s karmatic poison was stronger, his stats were high, higher than Frisk’s had been at Lv. 20. And his lack of a soul would make things tricky. Sans would no doubt be dust the moment his reflexes laxed from fatigue.

“I don’t want that, Mama would be sad, I would be sad, other big brother would be sad…” They mused.

After a minute of watching, it was clear the bad man was watching the two too. A person-shaped shadow in odd places, an odd silohet in others, even the glint of light bouncing off of armor. He was waiting, ready to attack at a moments notice, whenever the opportunity might be.

 

As soon as school was over, they ran out the door the direction of Grillby’s. Pausing at the threshold of school grounds, they fished out their cellphone and pressed on Toriel’s name. It rang once, then twice, after the third ring it went to voicemail. Goat mom had her phone off.

“I’m heading over to Grillby’s, mom, I shouldn’t be there long, and I’ll call when I’m heading home.”

Putting their phone back into their backpack, they resumed their journey.

 

Why was Frisk running in a direction that was clearly not home? And all alone. Didn’t they realize being alone was dangerous? Or maybe it hadn't clicked yet that he didn’t care if it was night or day. His last attack had been at night, but that hab been because they’d stayed with their friend so late. Oh, this wouldn’t end well!

 

The moment they entered the desired side street and was no longer in view of anyone, the atmosphere changed. A single white bullet grazed past their ear, causing them to skid to a halt. Their attack from last night emerged from behind, mouth split wide with that gut-wrenching smile. The person swung their sword at them, but it wasn’t like before, yet oddly enough, the recognized the person’s movements. Realization his them like a bag of brings. They were moving like Undyn had during her boss battle. 

Specifically when she turned their soul green, locking them in battle.

The sword phased through them like the fish monster’s spear had so long ago, their soul flickered to green, preventing their escape. The weight of the situation sank in. They were majorly fricked, big time. They knew this person was not going to be like fighting Undyn, she had a sense of honor, this person did not.

“Now then, let’s see you try and avoid this.” The person said.

With a snap of their fingers, white bullets were sent flying at them. They raised their shield. They’d spared with Undyn several times, and in a few of those she had used her trap magic, just the spears were green instead of white. For safety. This person’s attack was harsher and faster than her’s could ever be, hitting them several times.

By the end of the turn, their Hp had been stripped down to 8. The mage prepared another volley, and they squeezed their eyes shut. There was no way they’d survive this, but hopefully, they might still have the ability to reload. They hadn’t tried after reaching the surface. 

Nothing happened. Cracking open an eye, they watched as the last of the bullets bounced off of a wall of bones, and standing in front of them was the kid from before.

 

The moment the dark feeling reached him, he was off of the couch fast enough to make Olympic sprinters surprised. It was the same feeling as before, so he had an idea of what was going on. This time he could also feel the soul of a person he didn’t recognize.

“Kid, hold on until I get there!” He thought, teleporting.

 

Grillby almost dropped the glass he’d been holding when the darkness hit. And it was clear everyone else in the building had felt it too, be they human of monster. The monsters were panicking worse than the humans, they understood what the feeling actually was. Then there was the spark of a presence he knew all too well.

“It can’t be- the kid’s dead!” He thought.

It didn’t stop him from running toward the source of the dark feeling. The presence was still there, unwavering and persistent. If it was true, then he had to see them with his own eye; the dead walking.

 

“[You aren’t very pacient],” The kid said. “[Mama say’s it a virtue, but you’re clearly not vutuous].”

“I don’t know what in the hell you just said, but I’m certain that was an insult.” The mage remarked. “You may have had surprise on your side before, but this time I will kill you.”

The air was thick with magic, like it was gunpowder. And any second a spark would ignite it all. The mage cast a volley of bullets to smash the still standing wall of bones. The kid managed to press their opponent op against a wall with a wave of bones, but the attacks shatered like glass beneath the broadsword. They charged up their strategy with intricate patterns of blue and orange bone attacks that did cause the mage a fourth of their HP, but a stray yellow bullet shaved off a third of the kid’s health in turn.

The kid was working to keep the mage at a distance, the battle was on equal grounds that way. A few time the mage did manage to get close, turning the battle in their favor. Those few times were enough that they needed to get the idea. Finally, the mage charged, ignoring the bones that bit into their health and swung at the kid with a horizontal slash. The kid managed to jump up and avoid being cut in two, but their sweater wasn’t as lucky. Before landing, the mage hit them with a grounded kick, sending the kid flying into the wall behind them.

“Now that the past is out of the way…”

The mage raised their sword up high and prepared to end it. A beam of white forced them to jump back, and a wave of bones forced them back even further. “Hey dud, you must be the bastard that tried to kill Frisk last night, arn't cha’?” A familiar voice asked. “Well pal, I got news for ya’, mess with them and I’ll make sure to give you a really bad time.”

Sans’ expression was murderous, his left eye blaze with it iconic aqua blue and electric yellow, the right eye completely dark. Even the shorter skeleton’s normally goofy and warm grin was cold and sinister now. This was the first time they’d seen his judgment expression turned onto another person.

“Oh? A weakling like you plans to give me a bad time? I’d love to see that.” The mage purred, eyes glowing red.

They rushed at Sans, blade poised to stab him, only to be cut off by a wall of bones.

“Heh, you’re really full of yourself, someone really needs to knock you down a few pegs.”

Sans cast a wave of blue bones. The mage came to a halt, letting the blue magic bass over them. They were wise enough to know how blue attacks worked, and probably orange attacks too.

“Got ya’.”

Sans motioned a hand downward, but the made didn’t even quiver.

“W-what the- where the hell if your soul?!” Sans demanded.

Frisk shivered. The mage and Flowey might be the same in regards to their missing soul, but this person was nothing like the revived prince. They were far colder, and their presence oozed of malice.

“Hmm, it probably shattered,” The mage replied of so calmly. “Not like I needed it in the first place.”

Their wicked grin split their face and they charged at Sans again. The skeleton dodged with the same grace had had back in the underground. It was now like back to his boss battle, the mage swinging a sword instead of a gardening knife. And just like before, the stress was starting to get to him, soon he’d slow down and then-

A white beam his the mage square in their shoulder, sending them sideways into a wall, crashing into it hard. The two remaining snapped their head to find the attack’s origin. Hoving above the kid was a huge master blaster, jaws closing shut with a click. The kid’s eyes were blazing blue, a hint of purple in their center. The sleeved had been pulled back to expose a handmade of some bone-like material.

“I was right, you’re related him-him, aren't you.” The mage said, prying them from the wall. “I was wondering if the bastard was still alive, now I’m wondering where he is, and when he managed to creat you.”

As soon as the mage finished speaking, they vanished.

“So it is true, you are alive.”

Grillby looked at them all, then turned his attention back to the kid. Said person was staring at the elemental with eyes blown wide, like they were a dear in the headlights of a car.

“Grillby, you know the kid?” Sans asked.

The fire monster nodded.

“Yes, that kid is your brother, Sans.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wonder how many of you saw that last line coming? I didn't exactly make it hard to at least make the assumption.  
> Also I think I now know why the Alphys/Undyn ship is called Alphyn, because Unphys sounds similar to Undies. (That was a joke, I promise I'm a serious and responsible almost adult)


	23. Chapter 23

“W-what?!” Sans gasped.

He stood still as a shadow, the eye lights in both eyes off. With those empty sockets and frozen grin, it was hard to tell what he was thinking. They child eye him carefully from behind their- his bangs. It was had to tell what he was thinking either.

He let the fire monster lift him up, exposing part of a skeletal tail, one hidden by the now ruined sweater, and wrapped it around the monster’s arm. His feet and hand were weird, they were clearly made out of bone, but they were made like a human’s, not a skeleton’s. The material extending up to his knees, and probably from hand to elbow.

“I’ll explain everything later, bring whoever you feel also deserves to hear this along with after closing hours.” Grillby said.

The kid gave them one final look from behind the elemental’s bicep as said monster began walking away. Then pressed himself into his side. Sans was still transfixed on nothing. The sudden drop of information had left him reeling.  
“I’ll call Asgore and Papy, maybe even Undyn and her girlfriend if I have the energy for it, you call Toriel, okay?” Sans said after a while.

They nodded and dug into their pocket for their phone. Thankfully the device wasn’t smashed beyond use, or even dented in any way. They hunted through their contacts for the number to their adopted goat mom’s phone.

 

The mage smiled, grinned even. True he had failed again, but he’d been impatient, the blame was his own. But it was better this way, because new he knew what the brat really was. He was a tabu child, the spawn of monster and man, this time with a human soul.

The bastard was still alive, how else could something as disgusting as that tabu child come to pass? Monsters hadn’t been on the surface long enough to couple with humans just yet. Oh he was going to enjoy this, once he knew where that blasted skeleton was, he’d capture this kid and kill it right before his eyes, make him suffer by watching as he reduced his creation to a bloody mess.

How would those traitors reacting? Would they feel disgust at the action of their monster friend, would they even be able to look at him the same way? This was going to be glorious.

 

“Sooo… which one of you punks is going to give us an explanation?” Undyn asked.

Everyone was gathered(er… crowded) in Toriel’s living room, it had been the best place to gather everyone before heading over to Grillby’s. There were several things they needed to talk to everyone about before then.

“Yes, first Frisk leaves a voice mail saying they were heading to Grillby’s, then they call and tell me there’s a change of plan and they need me to come home.” Toriel said.

“Y-y-yeah, and why are the two of you acting so strangely?” Alphys asked.

“AND LOOK LIKE YOU BOTH FELL BACK INTO THE UNDERGROUND AND CLIMBED BACK OUT.” Papyrus added.

“Heh, well Funny story, Frisk got attacked again, same person as before, and I stepped in to save em’.” Sans explained.

“WHAT?!” Toriel screeched.

Everyone jumped, including the normally loud Undyn and Papyrus. The goat lady did not look happy.

“Why was I not informed of this until just now? She demanded.

“Because mom, we only just now got a chance to tell you.” Frisk answered. “I’m alright now, Sans and my savior from before stepped in to save me.”

“Yeah, when I got there, the kid, who’s way younger than our friend here, had just become modern wall art.” Sans recounted. “The jerk could use magic, dunno how. Lots of magic later, I try and blueify the guy’s soul only to find nothing, and then before he can dust me the Kid, no the other kid, used a special skeleton spell that only me an’ Papy know.”

Papyrus went rigid. They had been unsure if Papyrus was capable of using blasters, now they got an answer.

“You mean that spell?” Papyrus asked, using an indoor voice for the first time anyone besides sans knew of.

He brother nodded.

“Uh, what spell?” Undyn asked.

“A super secret special attack than only Sans and I can use, until now.” The taller skeleton said.

They knew about the spell in question, had seen it used on them many resets ago. It had been the bane of their existence then, and one one of the many reasons they’d cursed Sans worse than a sailor. The gaster blasters were incredibly powerful, so how did the boy have access to them?

Grilly came and picked up the kid, promised to explain things after work. He said we should gather anyone we feel deserves to hear the explanation. And now everyone’s here.” Sans finished.

“The boy was strange, he had the eyes of a skeleton. And his hands and feet were made of bone… he even had a tail.” They put in.

Sans gave them a look, neither of praise now scolding, apparently, he was still unsure how to handle the news. Asgore on the other hand, his expression darkened.

“Half human, and half monster…: The king of monsters murmured.

“Yeah, what about it?” Sans asked.

“I… I don’t know, I do know something about this, but there are pieces missing, important pieces. All I can say is that right now, it fills me with an unexplainable sadness.” Asgore explained.

“The shorter skeletons shoulders sagged. He’d been hoping for some answers.

“Maybe Grillby’s explanation will trigger something?” The opted.

“Maybe… I hope so, I remember making a promise to someone a long time ago, it was important to them, but I can’t seem to remember who.”

 

The void is an empty place that existed outside of reality and space-time. It is devoid of warm and cold, light and darkness, it is an endless space of black nothingness, and what remained of his body was the only bit of white to break the black. If being exiled to this place was all that had happened, then it would have been fine, he could pretend he was dead. No, his punishment had been far greater.

Perhaps it was fitting, he’d failed everyone after all.

He thought about his children, all three of them. How would his first and second oldest sons react to having a brother, a brother who was only half monster? He could except any outcome to the scenario, except for the one where they hated their little brother. He deserved the love of his siblings, he’d suffered through so much.

 

“So, in a little bit, the big reveal happens.” Naui mused. “I wonder how Papyrus will react to the truth? And Sans, I’m not quite sure how he’s taking it just yet.”

“Papyrus will be fine, he’s the type of person who always wants to be an older brother. Sans is taking it about as well as one can in this situation.” Aruin replied sarcastically. “What I’m most concerned about is what he plans to do now, hell'll freeze over before he lets something like this slide.”

“Yeah, he'll likely change his target.” Naui agreed.

“Actually, he’s more likely to hit two birds with one stone, he knew Frisk is under his protection, he’ll use that to his advantage.” Hydel pointed out.

…Right, he’ll kill Frisk first, and then force Gaster to watch as he willes his son. That sounds like the kind of devilish move he’d make.” Aruin replied.

“We can't let that happen!” Kaimeer said. “Gaster’s already seen his youngest die once, a second time would crush him! Don’t forget he’s seen the bad timelines and how they ended too.”

“We know that.” Aruin said. “But our hands are tied, until the monster prince and fallen child are finished with their plans, we are unable to intervene.”

“But it is only a matter of time.” Hudel added.

“That might be true, but our foe was never known for patience, this latest development proves it.” Aruin responded cynically. “Either way, all we can do is wait, and see how the events before us unfold.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I intended for this chapter to have the explanation, but the word count became very intimidating so that'll be next chapter.


	24. Chapter 24

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> another long chapter,

The restaurant and bar was empty when they arrived, even the monster in question was absent from the visible premises. Sans took a seat on one of the bar’s stools, Frisk took a seat next to him. Toriel took a seat at one of the tables nearest to the bar, Asgore did the same. Papyrus and Undyn chose to stand. Alphys was the odd one out, the drake monster was cradled securely like a cat in his girlfriend’s arms.

They waited patiently, not saying anything. Then Grillby emerged from the back. His expression was neutral, so it was impossible to glean anything. A child with white hair sat on his left arm, tail resting off the limb and bangs brushed back enough to easily show their- his- black and blue skeleton eyes. The kid was no longer in his oversized sweater, not dressed in a baggy t-shirt and shorts, exposing his ‘boney’ limbs. The beanie was also gone, exposing a ‘crest’ of sorts almost exactly like the ones the blasters had.

Alphys was fascinated by the boy, anyone with vision could see that. Papyrus and Tirel were also fascinated by him as well, and almost just as much as Alphys was. Everyone else that wasn’t Sans was as well, to a lesser extent. He looked like a hybrid of human and skeleton monster. The boy kept giving Sans and Papyrus unsure and bewildered looks. He clearly knew who the two of them were, but was unsure about how to approach them.

Sans sucked in a sharp breath. Time to asked the question that had been weighed the heaviest on his mind since seeing the kid.

“Grillby, who is this Kid? And what exactly is he?” He asked.

“He's Hollow, yours and Papyrus’s younger brother,” The elemental replied. “Half human and half monster in body, with a human soul.”

He narrowed his eye sockets. The kid was definitely half Frisk’s age, maybe even younger, their way that was possible. But the fact he could use blaster magic did mean something.

“Impossible, He all but growled. “The kid can’t be older than six, there’s no way Dad could have created him, not in that short a time frame. He’s been gone for too long.”

“You know,: Toriel spoke up. “I don’t think I know who your father is, you’ve never talked to him before. Who is he?”

“Toriel’s right, Papyrus, Sans, neither of you have ever even mentioned the guy before, and Papyrus talks about everything.” Undyn agreed.

“REALLY? WELL THEN, OUR DAD WAS… ACTUALLY, I DON’T KNOW WHO OUR DAD WAS.” Papyrus admitted. “I CAN’T REMEMBER ANYTHING ABOUT HIM.”

The taller skeleton looked quite shaken up by this fact. It was obviously something he’d never question, or even realized until now. His brother(s) didn’t look all that surprised.

“No one remembers Mama, not after the accident.” The kid, Hollow, said. “Or at least, I thought no one did until now, seems I was wrong.”

Sans looked at his supposed youngest brother in shook. Did he know?

“Our Dad, Dr. W. D. Gaster was the former royal scientist, the man who created the core,” Sans explained. “One day something happened to him, and suddenly his existence was wiped away, for some reason, Grillby, me, and Hollow remember him.”

“Mama fell into the core.” Hollow said, add onto Sans’ explanation.

“F-f-fell into the core?! His own creation? O-oh god!” Alphys balked.

“And got himself shattered across time and space, trapping his mind in the void.” The boy added.

All eyes fell on him, and yet he was unfazed by this.

“Mama’s body and most of his soul was shattered and scattered across time and space, enough of his soul remained intact enough for him to persist, trapping him in the void.” The boy explained. “The void is a place outside of existence.”

“How do you know this young one?” Asgore asked.

Hollow gave the king a blank look and a tilted head.

“Mama told me how he got there.” He said, as if it was obvious.

And it kinda was. How else would a kid his age know all of this?

“Besides, I've lived my entire post-born life in the void, or at least most of it.”

“W-wait- y-y-you were born in the void?” Alphys asked.

“Mhm.” He answered with a nod. “Living in the void has its perks! W can see all that goes on in the timeline, butare unable to affect anything because of that fact.”

Sans just about choked on nothing at the same time Frisk almost fell out of their seat. It got them receiving quizzical looks from everyone in the room but Hollow.

“HUMAN, SANS, ARE YOU TWO ALRIGHT?” Papyrus asked.

“Y-yeah bro, I’m airy alright- just a little rattled is all.” Sans replied.

“What Sans said, pun included.” Frisk agreed quickly.

“SAAANS!” Papyrus cried exasperatedly. “THAT WAS A TERRIBLE PUN!”

Hollow watched them both with a passiveness. He knew they were lying, knew why they’d reacted like that, but chose not to say anything. Past resets were still the past.

“T-timelines? What are those?” Alphys inquired.

“Really strange time-space-physics thing-a-ma-bob that I don’t really get.” Hollow answered.

And he wasn't lying, he was too young for an explanation to do more than dribble out the other ear.

“HOLLOW, HOW OLD ARE YOU? AND HOW IS OUR DAD DOING?” Papyrus asked.

“Hmm… I was born four, almost five years ago, before Frisk fell/” Hollow replied. “Mama’s alright, he had all the pieces of his soul and is trying to fix it, and he’s really goopy right now, but other than that he’s fine.”

There was more to the story, or at least the looks Grillby was giving him, and his own expression said there was. And the story itself, if Hollow was four, then…

“Wait.” They said. “If you were born before I fell but only now revealed yourself, how does Grillby know you?”

They didn’t believe the boy was lying, but then how did it add up otherwise?

“I even remember him being really surprised to see you, like he’d seen a ghost, and not a monster one.”

Toriel crinkled her brow.

“Frisk is right, but that would mean Hollow is lying about his age.” The lady boss monster said.

Grillby sighed. This was something they’d come to sooner or later. The beginning of the story.

“Hollow isn’t lying.” The fire monster said. “It’s just that we haven’t told you the entire story, or really the beginning of it.”

“What do you mean? If Hollow’s actually only four, then how do you know him?” Sans asked.

“Yeah, you two met before or something?” Undyn agreed.

“In a way yes, I met Hollow the day he died.” The elemental answered.

“W-what?” Asgore gasped.

“BUT GRILLBY, HOLLOW LOOKS VERY MUCH ALIVE.” Papyrus pointed out.”

Yes, now he is. I learned of his existence the day he died, the day the first fallen child and the prince died.”

Toriel flinched at the same time Asgore grimaced. The subject of their lost children was still a sensitive topic. Everyone else just became confused.

“H-hu? D-died before he was born, then actually being born? How does that work?” Alphys asked.

Grillby shrugged.

“Before the first human fell, Gaster had been tasked with breaking the barrier by Asgore, so at the time he’d been studying human souls to understand the barrier. During one of his experiments, he was in an accident when one of them blew up in his face, somehow creating Hollow’s soul.” The fire elemental began. “When he found out about the soul, he almost immediately became attached to it- he was technically it’s parent after all. He wanted to make a body for it, but a monster’s body is unable to house a human soul, as he soon found out.”

“T-this is true.” Alphys said softly, eyes down at the floor.

“Hey, come on! You didn’t know what would happen.” Undyn replied.

Grillby continued.

“And then the first human arrived. Using a sample of their blood and his own marrow, he managed to create a body… Technically that start of one. The boy would develop just like a human’s would.”

“B-b-by –d-develop like a n-normal human infant, d-did that include-“

“Yeas!” The elemental answered before Alphys could finish.

The yellow drake turned bright red, but a soft squealing sound escaped her. Toriel, who also understood what she’d been asking, burst out laughing.

“So that’s why Hollow refers to him as ‘Mama’, he wasn’t just a dadster!” She said, howling with laughter.

Papyrus groaned.

“And then that night came, the night the human fell down,” He continued, shoulder sagging. “When the prince absorbed their soul, something happened that disrupted the magic in the underground, that included the spell holding Hollow’s developing body, and Gaster was hit with the backlash. There wasn’t time to get help, and he was in too much pain to do anything, I was left with two options. I chose the one with minimal losses… Hollow’s body was just too young to survive outside on its own.”

A heavy silence settled over the room. Three souls, not just two, had died that night. Hollow grabbed the elemental’s hand.

“You did what needed to be done, Sans and Papy needed Mama.” He said.

Frisk shuddered.

“I- So it was Dr. Gaster I had talked to.” Asgore murmured. “I remember talking with someone soon after their death, he told me about the human soul he’d made, and how they died that night. He didn’t want the experiment replicated just for the sake of freedom.”

There was one little thing that didn’t add up. And no, it wasn’t how Gaster managed to revive and birth Hollow.

“Hollow, how did you get out of the void?” They asked.

“Uhh, actually the pink’s right, if you were born in the void, how’d you get out?” Undyn agreed.

“Simple, I use they grey door in waterfall.” Hollow answered. “I use it to get in and out of the void, as long as it’s there. I’ll admit, there were times I got stuck for months in the underground because I lost track of time and the door vanished.”

“Grey door?” They pondered.

“Does this Grey door lead to a grey room?”

Hollow nodded.

“Kid, did ya’ find the door?” Sans asked.

“Once, it room had been empty except for one thing; a black blob with hands and a face.” They answered.

“Oh, so you’ve met mama already?” The boy inquired.

“Er, well they vanished the moment I tried to interact with them, so met might not be the right way to describe it.” They said. “But if you can leave, does that mean Gaster can too?”

Hollow shook his head.

“Mama is unable to leave, it’s the reason he sent me to protect you.”

“Just curious, if Gaster is your ‘mother’, then what does that make Chara?” Toriel asked.

“Chara’s my older sibling!” Hollow said in that cheery mater-o-fact tone that basically translated to ‘obviously’.


	25. Chapter 25

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some wounds persist even after death, and some fears just don't die in the light.

There were still a few questions they had. They hadn’t been as important before, but now was a good time.

“Hollow, why did you protect me?” They asked.

Both times the mage had attacked them, Hollow had come to their aid, but why? Why had he been so willing to protect them, a total stranger? Up until last night, they hadn’t been aware of his existence, they weren’t exactly friends either, so why? Why was he so willing to jump into harm's way for them?

“Because, Mama’a unable and people would be sad.” Hollow answered. “And I can’t let him win!”

“He? Is he talking about the guy who tried to kill me?” They wondered.

“What do you mean you can let him win? Who is this he you're talking about?” They ask.

“You know who I’m talking about, the bad man who wants you dead.” Hollow replied. “He wins if he kills you, I can’t let that happen.”

“Who is that guy anyway?” Sans asked. “The guy could use magic, but that should be impossible. Humans forgot about magic generations ago.”

“Yeah, he’s right,” They agreed. “We forgot about magic a long time ago, so then how can he do it?”

“It is true humans forgot about magic after the war, but that’s modern humans.” He replied with a sly smile. “The bad man was alive during the war, he was a mage fighting for the humans.”

Everyone looked at him with confusion.

“Nice try bro, but humans don’t live that long.” Sans pointed out.

It was true, modern humans had an average lifespan of about 90 years, back centuries ago it was even less than that. The war had ended centuries ago, so by normal means, he should be dead.

“But that’s by normal means, he is as abnormal as it gets. The bad man was one of the seven mages who made the barrier.” Hollow explained. “After all, how else can a person lose their soul and not be dead.”

Everyone froze. Sans had mentioned that the guy didn’t have a soul, or at least he said he hadn’t found one. The fact that Hollow confirmed they bastard didn’t have one made it all the more terrifying. They thought about Flowey and his actions, then thought about the mage’s. They weren’t straight up similar, but they weren’t totally different.

“Mama managed to rebuild my soul and body, without it I wouldn’t be here.” Hollow added.

“Why are they attacking Frisk?” Toriel inquired hesitantly.

“To start another war between humans and monsters, this time ending it the way he wanted it to end last time.” Hollow answered. “Mama told me that the barrier wasn’t his doing, he wanted something different to happen.”

Asgore placed his face in his hands, Toriel looked haunted. Even Grillby looked somewhat uncomfortable. They were a few of the remaining monster who’d lived through the war, had survived its horrors, and had seen how one-sided it had become in the end. Even with the advantage of magic, it was unlikely monsters would survive another war, it would become a dust bath.

“So, why Frisk?” The royal boss monster asked.

Deep down, he knew the answer, but he had to ask. The boy gave him a sympathetic look.

“Because Frisk, as the monster’s ambassador, is an icon of peace, someone acting as a ling between the two. If they die by unnatural means, things will fall apart.” The small child answered.

Conveniently, the moment he finished talking, his coach decided now was a good time to practice it’s whale songs imitations.

“I have a great question, when was the last time you ate?” Undyn asked.

Hollow turned bright red and began fighting.

“Um, well, I think maybe it was-“

“L-l-let’s get the poor boy something to eat.” Alphys interrupted.

“Al’s right, pretty sure none of us want to hear the kid’s answer, let’s get him some grub.” Sans said.

Toriel went into mom mode, picking him up by the armpits, she relived Grillby of child duty. The fire monster looked relieved.

“Sans and Alphys are right. I have some leftover pie in the fridge at home.” She said.

“Pie! I finally get to try your legendary pie!” He cheered.

“Oh? You’ve heard about my pies? Have you been in the ruins?” She asked.

“I’ve been all over the underground, teleporting makes exploring places easy.”

 

They had some questions pertaining to their strange dream encounter, and now they finally had a chance to talk to Grillby alone. They followed him into the back, and once they were certain no one was eavesdropping, the tugged at his clothes. He was surprised to see them, but not upset.

“Is there something you need?” He asked.

“Yeah, I want to ask you about something, but didn’t want to bring up around the others.” They answered.

“Alright, I’m listening.”

They took in a deep breath. There was a chance that Aruin was wrong and Grillby didn’t actually know anything.

“Do the names Naui, Hydel, Kaimeer, and Aruin mean anything to you?” They asked.

Grillby grimaced. Looks like Aruin had been right to direct them to him after all.

“They… they were Gaster’s closest friend before the war, human mages who loved us monster dearly. They sacrificed their lives to protect monsters, and Gaster knew this.” The fire monster explained.

His face was expressionless, but his body retained its tension. He walked away, and they didn’t follow him. It was obvious that they were a touchy subject. It also explained why they’d been directed to him for answers, their ties to Asgore meant he didn’t remember. Thinking about what the four had said, and what Grillby had said, something clicked.

“Going behind his back- ohhh.”

They had been fore of the seven mages who sealed monsters underground. The mage had been another, perhaps even the one who lead them, and he hadn’t intended for the spell to simply trap monster under Mt. Ebott.

They hadn’t appeared soulless, the four had all been very friendly and warm. They were unable to leave the ‘pocket space’, so maybe instead of no soul, they had no bodies, the inverse of the man out for their head.

“Frisk?” They heard Sans call.

There would be time to mull over this later. And when they went to bed, there was a chance they’d end up back in the pocket space. It would be nice to talk to the four again, find out how much of the situation they were aware of. The thought filled them with determination as they ran back into the dining area.

 

“Hey, Chara?

“Yeas Asriel?”

“Did you ever hate me after our… plan failed?”

“No, I was upset over it, but I was never able to bring myself to hate you, you are my best friend in the worl after all.”

“I’m glad, ever since I was brought back like this, I was worried you hated me, after what I was unable to do.”

“Mmm, well, now you can stop worrying over it, and a part of me was happy to stopped me, I would have turned you into a murderer otherwise.”

“Thanks, Chara.”


	26. Chapter 26

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Pie, even when reheated, is good. And after decades, Father and son finally reunite.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You know, before I never though about Hollow and what his food situation would be like, this was a new turn of events.

Hollow sat unmoving, save for his irises, as he watched from a kitchen chair as Toriel retrieved a slice of pie from the fridge and placed it on a place before putting it into the microwave. Before, back in the underground, he’d occasionally visit the ruins and observe her as she waited for another human to fall, eyes a mix of hope and dread. Even when it was just her all alone in the house, she would make pie, he loved the pleasing aromas that would wafer out from the door or an open window. It was something he’d missed when the underground went empty.

When the microwave beeped, she brought him the plated pastry and a fork. He disregarded the fork and snacked up the pie slice with his hands, unaffected by how warm the sweet treat was, and began snarfing it down as fast as he could.

“Woah, slow down there kid, the pie isn’t going anywhere other than your stomach.” Sans said.

“SANS IS RIGHT, CHEW YOUR FOOD PROPERLY OR YOU MIGHT CHOAK.” Papyrus agreed.

He gave the duo a perplexed look, but did slow down to chew.

“My, my, you must have been hungry, why, with the way your ravishing the pie, it’s as if you haven't had a proper meal in a long time.” Toriel commented.

He cocked his head to one side in confusion and thought about what she’d said. He normally had to find his own food, Mama was unable to leave the void. He never got hungry, or tired really, while in there, so he didn’t eat often, and whatever he did find to eat usually wasn’t much.

“How often did you eat?” Frisk asked.

He swallowed a bit of crust and paused.

“I dunno, I don’t need to eat when I’m in the void, so I guess it wasn’t very often.” He replied. “I had to find my own food anyway, so I’ve never really eaten that much until now.”

Toriel frowned. Children were constantly growing, especially when they were as young as Frisk and Hollow were. As such, they needed to eat food for energy to grow properly. It wasn’t healthy for someone his age to eat as little as he was implying he had. Well, that was going to change.

“Eat up then, children as young as you need the energy to grow properly.” Toriel said finally.

He nodded and took another bite of the crust.

“MAYBE LATER HOLLOW MIGHT LIKE TO TRY SOME OF MY SPAGHETTI, IT IS COOKED BY THE GREAT PAPYRUS AFTER ALL.” Papyrus said with a grand flourish.

Sans and Frisk made strained faces, they’d both tried his cooking, and knew that his food wasn’t exactly edible quite yet. Hollow, mid-chew, made an ‘oh heck’ face, as if he knew about the tall skeleton’s cooking abilities, or lack thereof. Toriel simply smiled, albeit a somewhat forced one. She too was well aware of just how bad the pasta was.

“Well, I have some papers to finish grading, Sans, please keep an eye on your brother, and get him more pie if he’s still hungry.” Toriel said.

“M’kay.” Sans replied as she left the room.

Brother… It was still strange for another person other than papyrus to be referred to as ‘your brother’. The two had been each other's only sibling for years now, and suddenly well into adulthood, this happens. Neither of them was angry at him for it, they weren’t even upset over the situation. That didn’t mean it wasn’t something everyone was going to magically get used to.

“SANS, I’M GOING TO GO PREPARE A PLACE FOR OUR NEWEST FAMILY MEMBER TO SLEEP.” Papyrus said.

This left him alone with the two kids, and whatever questions any of them might have.

“So… kid, you know about the timelines?” Sans asked.

Hollow nodded.

“Then I assume you also knew about the resets?”

Again the boy nodded.

“I’ve seen most of it, each path Frisk took, Mama and I watched it unfold, we watched them make each decision and how they reacted to the outcome.”

He sighed.

“One last question; it is possible to see dad?”

Hollow jumped down from his chair and walked over to the sink, his hands colored with berry juice and decorated with pie crumbs. The two watched him attentively as he nudged a stool over and scrubbed his hands clean of the sticky sweetness.

“The door is still here, down in waterfall.” The boy said finally, drying his hands on a towel. “Let’s go.”

 

He didn’t have to worry, it would all be to his advantage in the end. It wouldn’t happen today, but the moment the tabu child and the human were together, it would be easy to kill the human and spirit off the other to wherever it was the bag of bones was hiding. It would have to be when they were a part of a small group.

Boss monsters were tricky to fight, but he had once killed one of them. He could easily take the short skeleton, it’s stamina was terrible, ho something as weak as it existed was a mystery. Only a 1 in every stat? A newborn had better stats than what. All it did was make his task all the easier.

 

Waterfall was quiet, almost to the point of being eerie, even with the soft trickling of the river. The echo flowers repeated the same things over and over, with nothing new to replace the last conversations of monsters. Once, the underground had felt crowded, now, it simply felt empty.

They found the door easily. It was hard to miss the color uneven stone interrupted by grey rectangles. Hollow ran on ahead, pushing the door open and charging inside.

“Mama!”

Whatever Sans’ had expected his father to now look like, a black amalgamate was not on the list. Gaster stood in the center of the room as his youngest son ran into him, his body made of a black goop that was darker than anything, even the deepest of shadows.

“Mama! I brought Frisk and Sans!” He cried happily, hugging his parent’s goopy body.

He tilted his head, then looked up, and froze.

“H-hay dad,” Sans mustered out.

“[Sans, my son…]”

This wasn’t exactly the family reunion either of them had been expecting.

“[I see you’ve met your youngest brother already].”

“Yeah, Grillby told me what happened back then. I know I was just a kid, but it’s still hard to believe I missed something like this, aren’t kids supposed to be perceptive?”

“[Not always… I assume Papyrus knows too].”

“Yeah, Papy knows, he’s met him already.

It was growing a little awkward, neither really had much to say, surprisingly enough.

“Mama, the bad man knows what I am.” Hollow said.

“[I’m not surprised, I knew it you wouldn’t be able to hide your heritage forever, he’d figure it out eventually].”

“Dad, just who is this guy? Hollow say’s he a mage from the war, and that he want’s Frisk dead to start another war.” Sans said.

Gaster sighed.

“[he-]”

“Oh! I know this!” Frisk blurted. “He’s one of the seven mages who created the barrier, but it wasn’t a barrier he was trying to make, the spell was original to kill all monsters. The only reason he failed was that four of the casters had a different intent!”  
Everyone looked at them oddly.

“Uh, kid, where did you learn that?” Sans asked.

“Aruin sorta implied it, then told me Grillby had the answers, he told me that Aruin, Naui, Hydel, and Kaimeer were four of the casters, and that they were Friend’s of your dad’s.” They answered.

“[So their soul indeed persisted, and continue to help monsters still].”

“I met them in a dream last night, sorta the reason I disregarded safety.” They admitted.

Gaster smiled. It must be nice to learn the friends you thought were dead were actually alive and still helping.

“Heh, you're just full of surprises, aren’t ‘cha.” Sans said.


	27. Chapter 27

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Different can be frightening for those who aren't a part of the norm, but different =/= bad. Frisk knows this, but Hollow is still learning.

It had been a very long time since he’d been here last. Long enough for a layer of dust to blanket everything, scattering as he shoved the door open. Thankfully, his blueprints were still legible. But he swore they were a little more faded than they had been months ago. He carefully pulled the curtain back to reveal the broken machine. This would be his final gambit, his last attempt and bringing him back. The odds felt like they were in his favor.

It would be best to keep everything here, both because of the core and because he didn’t feel like creating a new lab. It felt like he was closest to him down here. Thankfully the machine looked about as bad as it had been when he’d left it 6 months ago. There were a few new rusty spots, but those were easy to fix.

Welp, time to clean the place up. All he really had to do was clean off all the dust, so he should have the lab up and running within a day, a week if he really fell behind. Then it would be time for the magic to happen, metaphorically. This was science.

 

“Hollow, how’s Flowey doing?” They asked.

The two had decided to take a stroke through hotland before returning to Toriel’s. It was nice to see familiar places, places where cherished memories took place, but it was weird to have everything so quiet, so empty. And Hollow had technically lived in this empty underground even after everyone had moved up to the surface, with only his parent for company. Before that, he never interacted with anyone else, always having to hide himself from everyone, only ever able to watch, never interact. He was stronger than a lot of people, even those older than him, for better or worse.

“He’s doing okay, he’s got big sin to keep him company.” The boy replied, staring at the magma.

Chara was with him? They had been aware of the fallen child’s presence from their first waking moment in the underground. The dead human had become a companion of sorts, guiding them through the underground and keeping them from being lonely. So now they were reunited with their best friend, that was good. Asriel had always been seeking their old friend out.

“They care about you, When I asked them if they did, they both said that in their own way yes, they did.” He added.

This surprised them, since one of the two was incapable of emotions, but it made them smile all the same. It was nice to learn that people you care about reciprocated those feelings in their own way. 

“I wish there was some way to bring them to the surface with us, ‘cause I’m positive that Flowey wouldn’t like being put in a flower pot and toted around like that.” They said.

“There is, and the two are currently in the process of executing their idea.” He replied cryptically. “I’m not going to tell you, It’ll ruin the surprise when they finally do join us on the surface.”

“Aww.” They false pouted.

Their companion made the duck face in response. They wouldn’t be getting answers from him anytime soon.

“I can’t wait to see Chara’s face when I tell them you’re their little brother, and Sans’ too! I bet their face will be better than the one they made when I called myself the legendary fart master!” They said.

“It might be that simple, after all, their no guaranty they’ll except me.” Hollow said. “I’m different from the children born of the union of humans and monsters in the past, and even the distant future, they all had boss monster souls. It’s the reason Grillby clarified that I had a human soul, that isn’t possible naturally.”

They frowned. While it was fascinating to hear the hybrid children had existed in the past, that was overshadowed by they way Hollow described himself, as something that shouldn’t exist. Then the evil mage had called him a tabo child, but that could just be because he was a bigot and hated monsters. 

Yes, Hollow was apparently not within the norm for hybrid children, but just because his soul was human didn’t mean he shouldn’t exist. It was like saying albinoes shouldn’t exist because they lacked pigmentation.

“Hollow, you might not be normal, but that isn’t a bad thing. You might not be natural, but that doesn’t make you any less of a human or monster.” They said, placing their hands on his shoulders.

He smiled. Thank god, that meant they got their point across. He deserved some happiness, after shouldering the burden of secrecy for so long. They themselves were outside the norm, they knew all too well how it felt to be different. They were determined to keep Hollow from feeling that way ever again.

“Let’s go home and eat more pie.” They said.

“Pie? Heck yes!” He cheered.

 

“Chara, how do you think everyone will react when we return? We’ve been gone for so long.” Asriel said.

“I want to say something positive, but, Azzy, the only person I’m certain will except us is Frisk- that’s just how they are. Everyone else… I’m just not sure.” Chara replied.

At least they’d been honest with him. And knowing that they had Frisk as the very least was a comfort. It made the uncertainty less scary.

“Do you think we’ll see the kid again?” He asked.

They shrugged.

“It’s a possibility, there are things I wont to ask them, but I’m not making any promises.”

“They did say someone was out to kill Frisk, after asking if we cared about them…” He trailed off.

“I’m not sure if they were being truthful or not, but a part of me believed them. But seriously, who in their right mind tries to kill Frisk? They're a pacifistic goofball who’s also a serial flirtiest and friend maker.” They responded.

Asriel snorted at that last description, it was Frisk down to a tee. He was inclined to agree, there was something honest about the kid, maybe it was how young they looked. Their eyes, humans didn’t have eyes like those, but he was certain that their eyes were actually like that. The more he thought about it, the more he was certain the kid was unusual, teleportation and strange eyes aside.

“Chara, did you get the feeling that the kid might not be human, at least not entirely?” He asked.

“What gave it away? The teleportation tidbit or the eyes?” They replied. “but yeah, I agree, there was just this feeling about them that reminds me of monsters.”

Then there was the fact the kid referred to them as ‘Si’. They were certain the kid was either calling them sister or sibling, but they’d been an only child on the surface. They’d fallen too many years ago for their parents to still be alive to have a second kid.

But the kid did have a human soul, they were certain of that fact. It wasn’t red with determination like their’s or Frisk’s, but it was human all the same. So just who were they, and how were they related to them?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter sneak peek: *tosses glitter on you all*


	28. Chapter 28

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The robot arrives.

Alphys balked and looked at the text message a second time, confirming what she already knew.

MOM: Alphys, I’ll be coming over later this week, I hope it’s alright if I stay with you and Undyn for a while. We haven’t had a proper mother-daughter bonding moment in years, and I’ve been dying to meet my eventual daughter-in-law.  
Love, mom.

It had been over a year since she and her mom had actually been in the same room. The last time she’d seen her was when she’d gone to visit her. The two weren’t entirely out of tough, and both loved each other dearly. Even after the “mishap”. And she had told her girlfriend about her, but the most Undyn actually knew about the woman that she had once been a scientist working under the previous royal scientist. And that now she co-taught advanced physics and engineering for a University.

Her mother knew a bit more than the general stuff about Undyn from some of the text they’d exchanged. Still, this would end either with the two most important women in her life on good terms, or with the two at each other's throat. The later would make her relationship with her mother even more awkward than it was already.

She prayed for her mother’s sake that the two would get along, but she wasn’t ready to call that a certainty just yet. She knew from personal experience that there was always a chance of something going wrong.

 

Mettaton savored the solitude that came with being alone on long car drives- something he learned soon after acquiring the license. It was hard work being a star on the surface, but it was more than rewarding to see both humans and monsters standing together at his concerts. Working with open-minded humans was a plus. Shyren and Napstablook were ‘curled’ up in the back seat, a well-earned rest. That was another pleasure, seeing Blooky so happy and energetic for once. His more reserved cousin has simply flourished working as a DJ, and many humans adored them.

Placing on headphones so as to not disturb the two in back, he turned on the news app on his phone and leaned back in his seat.

“Last night tensions rose what the young monster ambassador, Frisk Dreemurr, was attacked by an unknown human assailant.”

Mettaton almost stomped on the break at the mention of ‘human assailant’. He was alone on the road, so he didn’t have to worry about being rear-ended, but he really didn’t want his two co-stars to be jolted awake just yet.

“The assailant is claimed to be capable of using magic, as well as wealed a sword. Thankfully, a second unknown human stepped in to save the young ambassador before any major harm could befall them. Both persons fled the scene before ambassador Dreemurr’s guardians arrived.

For once a new person got their pronouns right, hooray! But a human capable of magic, shouldn’t that be impossible? The robotic idol crinkled his brows together, it was concerning. At least Frisk was alright.

“This just in, another attempt on the Ambassador's life occurred today, by the same person. The police had disclosed few details with the public, other than one of the ambassadors caretakes has confirmed the assailant can use magic.”

Someone else had seen the bastard? He had a feeling it was Sans, he was the most with Frisk soul state. Hopefully the two were alright- Papyrus would have called him if either wasn’t alright, right? He hoped so at least.

“Metta?” Blooky inquired from behind his seat, still a little sleepy. “Are you okay? You’re holding the wheel really tight.”

The specter was right, he was close to crushing the part of the steering wheel in his grip. He needed to get a hold of himself, Blooky and Shyren didn’t need to know just yet what had happened.

“I’m fine Blooky.” He replied.

 

The front door swung open, grabbing the three’s attention.

“Darlings! I have returned from my tour.” Mettaton’s voice called out.

Sans relaxed back into the lumpy couch as the robot stepped into the living room. Frisk scrambled over to him and literally jumped the idol. Said star simply laughed and hoisted the child up into his arms.

“So, how was the trip?” Sans asked.

“It was lovely, not too much traffic, and the drive to and back was quiet. There was this one officer who pulled me over, didn’t realize that monsters could be licensed drivers. We almost didn’t make it in time.” Mettaton replied. “Hm?”

The pink bot’s eyes fell on the unknown child sitting on the other side of the couch, monster features out for all to see.

“Oh- Hello there, and who might you be?” He asked.

“Hollow,” The child answered.

They looked at him, like the pieces of a puzzle were coming together in the recess of this mind. Then the proverbial lightbulb clicked on.

“Now I remember, you’re the blink ghost from the snail farm!” Hollow said.

He nearly dripped frisk in surprise, eyeing the child with weary. Only Alphys and Blooky know about his roots.

“Sans, who is this kid?” The bot asked carefully.

“Me 'n Papy’s long-lost younger half-human brother.” The skeleton replied.

 

“METTATON! OH WOWY, I FORGOT YOU SAID YOU’D BE HOME TODAY. AND I SEE YOU’VE MET HOLLOW.” Papyrus said.

Mettaton smiled. He had both Frisk and Hollow up in his arms, all three of them looking quiet contempt. After the initial shock and panic had died down, the little boy had quickly grown on the robot. 

“I wasn;t expecting this, coming home from tour to find this little cutie pie, I can see the family resemblance,” Mettaton replied. “I heard about the attacks on the news while driving back, is everyone alright?”

“EVERYONE IS ALRIGHT, HOLLOW PROTECTED FRISK FROM HARM, AND SANS TOO, TO AN EXTENT.” Papyrus explained.

“Hey bro, I played an important role in keeping Frisk alright the second time around.”

“Sans, it was Hollow who kept me safe both times, and he was also the one who got kicked into a fricken’ wall.” Frisk reminded.

“HYEHEHE, OUR LITTLE BROTHER IS REALLY STRONG, IT’S HARD TO BELIEVE HE’S ONLY FOUR!” Papyrus boasted.

Mettaton gigged.

“Will those two just smooch already.” Sans though.

He was half tempted to use his blue magic to get the two to do it. He know for a fact that both Frisk and Alphys shared his sentiment. Alas, the opportunity passed by when Toriel entered the kitchen. Instead, he took a stealthy picture of the two and texted it to alphys, followed by ‘SANS: The OTP looks sooo domestic right now :p’.


	29. Chapter 29

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> True mother's love is a powerful thing, there is nothing a mother wouldn't do to see her children grow to be fine adults.

It was a week after the death of the royal children. She was no fool, she’d noticed from day one the changed in her boss’s behavior. How he would place a hand on his middle when he thought no was look, the greaving look deep within his eyes, how the mention of newborns would cause an air of melancholy to settle over him, unbeknownst to the others. She’d noticed it all.

Many years before the birth of her own daughter, a friend had lost a child. It had been a stillborn, nothing but a pile of dust before she had even been able to see the child. Her friend had acted similar the months following the loss. She’d noticed the subtle roundness her boss’s ‘belly’ has started acquiring before the prince and fallen child’s death, the morning after it had been gone.

She didn’t ask, she would wait until he chose, if he ever does, to tell her. Until then, it was none of her business and she would keep her suspicions to herself. She had seen how the stillbirth had affected her friend, the fact that her bose was back at work so soon after a loss like that reinforced the respect she had for the skeleton. And at least he had Grillby and his sons at his side, yes the loss of a child was a hard trial indeed, but having a family there helped with the grieving.

 

The ground shook several times, jarking the tabled and desks around, sending papers flying, beakers and graduated cylinders were sent tumbling off to shatter on the floor. Monster dove for any cover they could find. The wall and ceiling trembled with each quake. Edna knew at one that it was the core.

The moment the ground quit shaking, alarms began blaring out they're shrill cried alongside flashing red warning lights. The core was reaching critical. If someone didn’t do something, it would overheat and they’d have a meltdown on their hands. That would be bad on several levels for many reasons. 

She made a mad dash out of the lab room and sped down the hall, through flashing bloody red lights and screeching siren alarms, pushing past panicked monster; some fellow scientist and some civilians. The alarms going off meant an error had happened to the fail-safe, preventing it from activating when the core reached unsafe levels. Thankfully the failsafe could be activated manually. A tremor sent her crashing to the ground, leaving her in a heaping pile of limbs and tail as she waited for several seconds until it stopped. She lept to her feet and resumed running.

Hotland’s heat blasted her in the face as she exited the building. She could see the core ahead of her, steam gushing out from all side as the vents worked overtime in a vain attempt to cool it down. It was worse than she’d originally thought, damn it! She wasn’t accustomed to running for so long, her lungs protested as she drew in another gulp of smoldering air. She caught sight of another monster running as madly as her towards the core. Dr. Gaster! He was the only other monster who be as stupidly brave as her to run towards the seaming core. As the mouth of the bridge, another tremor hit, this one more violent than the one before it. Not much time before critical.

Something inside the core exploded as the tremor ended. The two rushed across the bridge, both because they were running out of time and because if another tremor it, they’d be thrown from the bridge and into the magma below. The core’s interior was stuffy with heat and thick with steam. The two began fervently tugging at levers and hitting switches.

There was a shriek of steam as something else burst, and they were both thrown violently towards the edge. Before she could teeter off and into the magma, she was tossed back inside by blue magic.  
She watched in horror as Gaster fell toward the sea of molten material. He wasn;t screaming, but she saw the fear across his features. Instead of falling into the plasmatic material, the skeleton monster disintegrated, not into dust, but into pieces that flickered out of reality. She saw his mouth move, his last words.

“Don’t F o r g e t…!”

Edna yanked the last leaver, tears welling in her eyes and dripping down her face in fat drops. Why was she crying? She was upset over the loss of someone, but her mind came up blank. She stumbled over to the edge of the platform and caved down to her knees, eyes on the magma below. Why was the sight of it making her heart wrench in pain?

 

“I was a scientist back down in the underground before my retirement, I was part of the team that helps make the core a reality too.” Edna said.

This was her final lecture before her break, she loved all of the students in her classes, they all contained avid learners all with dreams and ambitions of making the world a better place with the use of science. She hoped each one would go far, and her soul swelled with pride as she helped teach these young engineers the skills they would need.

“The core was designed by the monster in charge; the royal scientist. But building the thing was a multi-monster effort. It took more than just construction workers, we scientist had to help to make sure everything was set up correctly.” She explained. “When the thing was first built, the core was far from perfect. There were more bugs and errors than you’d be able to keep track of, and there were several kinks to iron out. Once we got the automatic fail-safe in place, we were given the breathing room needed to solve many of our problems. Now then, any questions?”

A sea of hands shot up.

“First row, redhead in the blue t-shirt.”

“Was D. Alphys the royal scientist at the time?” The kid asked.

“No, my daughter hadn’t even been conceived yet. Third dow, the girl with the brown braids and tan blouse.”

“Who was the person who developed the core?” The girl asked.

“Unfortunately no one knows, despite their brilliance, there are no records on them, the core is their only legacy.”

Several hands went down, but a fair number remained up. It was nice, seeing young human adults interested in her life’s work. It was the biggest reason she had hope for the future relationship between the two races.

 

It had been more than a year since she’d last seen her daughter, Alphys. It would be nice to see her again, and to finally meet her significant other. They did keep in contact through text and phone calls, but it wasn’t like the relationship they’d had before Alphys became the royal scientist and created the amalgamates. She never resented her daughter for those actions, she’d made them with the best of intentions in mind.

One of the many wonderful things Undyn had done for her daughter to help her come to terms with the regrets she has, and keep her from falling back into the dark habit of secluding herself from others out of shame and self-unworth. The fish monster made her daughter happy, truly happy, and for that Edna would be willing to put up with the fish lady even if it turned out the two were unable to get along well, she owed the other that much at least.

“Well, I’m off to meet our future daughter-in-law, I’ll tell you all about it when I come home.” She promised, placing a photo frame back onto her desk.

It was her wedding photo, she and her husband side by side, smiling with bliss and joy. I was the seconds happiest time of their lives, trumped only by the birth of their daughter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Edna is quickly become a favorite to write. Don't worry about her and Undyn, she'll quickly come to lover her daughter in law after the first meeting ;p


	30. Chapter 30

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fire hazard Undyn is the best kind of kitchen Undyn.

“Ahh come on Alphys, it’ll be okay.” Undyn reassured. “If she’s anything like you, then we’ll get along just fine!”

The attempt was nice, but that didn’t stop Alphys’s mind from cooking up worst-case scenarios for just how badly this could become. She’d probably stay a nervous train wreck until the initial meeting was over when mother and girlfriend were properly introduced to each other. And her mom wasn;t due over for another few hours earliest eta.

Seeing how distraught her girlfriend was, Undyn switched rails to plan B.

“So, anything in particular food you remember ol’ mom likes to eat?” Undyn asked.

“W-w-well, I re-remember she loved eating freshly baked apple bread with cream and tea.” Alphys answered.

With a sharp-toothed grin, Undyn lifted her girlfriend up and set her down on the couch.

“You just sit tight and relax, I’m guna go bake something up.” She said, jogging to the kitchen.

Alphys smiled, the grimaced in realization, and then made a mental note to grab the nearest fire extinguisher at the first wif of smoke. As much as she loved her girlfriend, Undyn still always found a way to get plain old water caught on fire.   
How the heck does that happen?

 

“Mom, what are we guna do with Hollow?” Frisk asked between bites of pie.

Today was a school day, she both they and their mother would be preoccupied from 8 until 2. Papyrus had basketball practice to coach, Mettaton was a celebrity and had celeb work to do, Sans apparently had things to do, and Alphys’s mom was apparently coming over today, so she and her girlfriend had to prepare for that.

“Hollow will be over at Grillby’s.” Toruel replied. “I didn’t feel comfortable sending him to daycare, and it wouldn’t be right to ask Asgore to do it.”

Okay then, problem solved.

 

Chara hated humans, utterly despised them with every speck of their existence. But they loved the surface. When it was just the wilderness, everything bright and fresh and bursting at the seams with life and wonder. That had been the surface they’d longed to share with monster kind, the part of the surface they’d been willing to die for. Mt. Ebott, for the most part, had remained untouched by civilization throughout the years.

When the pair emerged from a cave in the mountain, exiting the underground, it was bright early morning. Early enough for the grass and leaves to be weighed down with dew. In the distance, the towing buildings of a city could be seen.

“I’d forgotten how ethereal the surface looked.” Asriel murmured in wonder.

“Yeah, and if you ignore the city, it would be easy to forget that centuries haven’t passed us by.” Chara agreed. “The parts of it I’ve always loved never change.”

Asriel tore his eyes away from the view to give his dearest friend an empathetic look. He’d once shared a soul with them, he had an understanding of what they must be feeling at the moment.

“So… Mom and dad, and Frisk, are out there?”

They nodded.

“I’m scared, we haven’t seen everyone in so long, but knowing that Frisk at least will welcome us home with open arms and a loving soul, it fills me with determination.” The fallen child said. “And that determination is helping me to believe that mom and dad will too.”

“And maybe Alphys can help us restore our bodies.” Asriel pitched in. “I love being with you, but I know how much you value your space. And more than that, I want to one day hug you with my own arms.”

Chara gave the flower a grateful smile.

“Then off we go, straight into the uncertain.”

Together they took off down the side of the mountain, in the direction of the distant city. The first step onto the surface was the first step into their new lives.

“Hmm, Blooky, try making those last few notes a bit lower, okay?” Mettaton asked.

His shy cousin looked down at the sheet music.

“Like this?”

Napstablook played back the specified notes an octave lower, going from D to G. Mettaton smiled.

“Blooky that was perfect!” He praised.

The ghostly monster became flustered, but smiled shyly. It was a slow, repetitive journey for the two, but both Napsta and Shyren were bit by bit becoming more confident in themselves and their abilities. Mettaton was always patient with them, and careful in how he coxed them out of their comfort zones.

“Alright. Shyren darling,” Mettaton began.

The sky merfish monster snapped her head up to give him her undivided attention.

“For the last part, I want it to be a duet, we both hold that last lyric for several seconds with me fading out first. You’ll finish fading out two seconds after, think you can do it?”

Shyren did several breath control tests, holding her breath for as long as she could. Satisfied with her results, she nodded. Mettaton gave her a smile.

“Alright then, let’s practice.”

 

Edna knew she had the right house as soon as she heard frantic screaming. Testing the door, she found it to be unlocked(Undyn must really be confident if the door wasn’t locked). Stepping inside, she was greeted by loud screaming and yelling alongside the scent of smoke. Intuition told her it was from the kitchen. This was reminding her of the backing accident decades ago when Alphys and her father tried baking cookies. Emphasis on tried. As it turns out, you want to follow all of the directions when backing, even the ones on oven heat and baking time. Baking cookies at 40,000 degrees for a few seconds gave you a chard, dry disaster. And a potentially ruined oven.

Walking into the kitchen, she was greeted by a bizarre scene. Alphys was holding a fire extinguisher in trembling hands as she attempted to put off a burning pot on the stove. Behind her, a tall blue version of Lazura stood… holding up a kitchen table. With a humored sigh, Edna snapped her fingers. The pot was enveloped in a golden bubble, cutting off the flames from the air and snuffing it out in a matter of seconds.

The blanched look of horror on her daughter's face was second to the starry-eyed look in the fish monster's eyes as she set the table down.

“Holy shit, that was awesome!” She yelled.

Edna chuckled.

“Thank you, care to tell me what was burning?” She asked.

“W-w-“

“I was trying to cook something and the water caught fire!” The fish lady exclaimed, puffing out her chest in misplaced pride.”

“That is… an impressive feat.” Edna said finally.

“I’m Undyn, who are you?” The tall monster asked.

“I’m Edna, the mother of the monster behind you who is turning into mush.” She answered with a wry smile.

Alphys squeaked and buried her reddened face in her hands.

“So you Alphys’s mom, cool! She never told me you could do something like that!” Undyn said. “I was trying to make you something to eat, but you saw how well that went.”

“That was thoughtful of you, thank you.” She replied. “Alphys really lucked out, falling in love with someone as thoughtful and considerate as you.”

Undyn grinned.

“Heh, see that Alphys, your mom and I are getting along just fine.”

“Y-yeah.” Alphys murmured.

Alphys looked much more relaxed, like a weight had been lifted from her mind. Had she really been fretting that bad over this? Edna shook her head, things didn’t change. It was a shame he wasn’t here as well, her husband would have loved to see the lovely daughter-in-law they were going to have.


	31. Chapter 31

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Change of target.

“SO HOLLOW… BROTHER, DID YOU EVER WANT TO MEET US?” Papyrus asked.

The concept of having another brother was still a foreign concept for him, he only remembered the times when it was just him and Sans. Using the word ‘brother’ on anyone other than Sans was odd, like trying a new food for the first time. But, if anyone said that he was unhappy with the situation would be lying. He’d quickly grown attached to the little hybrid child, and it was nice to not be the youngest child in the family anymore.

“Yes. I’d always wanted to, but I was scared. Up until now, I’ve only ever watched you two from afar, and even if you both had believed me, what would the other monsters have done? I look too human to easily be seen as a monster. So I stayed hidden.” The boy answered.

Papyrus hugged his little brother closer.

“YOU DON’T HAVE TO HIDE FROM US ANYMORE.” Papyrus responded.

Maybe one day, if their father was ever freed from the void, the four of them could be a family for once. A family that didn’t have to hide from each other. 

Hollow looked over Papyrus’s shoulder, then lowered his head just enough to hide his eyes from outside observers. He could still peer out from behind the white locks.

“Are you following me now? Or are you making sure I won’t be around to intervene?” He wondered, watching a tall shadow dart back behind the cover of a brick wall.

He wasn’t sure what more the man was going to make, things were up in the air the moment his whole self had been revealed. But if the man chose to attack now, he was prepared to escape. Papyrus was stronger than he looked, very few monster was capable of the level of magical dexterity he possessed. Unfortunately, the tall skeleton was kind to a fault- a weakness the mage would undoubtedly exploit.

 

“So, who’s the kid?” A stocky bird monster with brown and grey feathers inquired.

“A friend’s kid.” Grillby responded, as stoic as ever.

Hollow, with long sleeves and gloves paired with his beanie and his tail wrapped around his hips, could pass at a glance as a human child. Toriel had applied an illusion spell to hide his true eye color, completing the disguise. Any monster who saw what he actually looked like would know he was different from them.

“Ahh, a sitter wasn’t available?”

The fire monster nodded.

Hollow sat still in his stool, legs dangling, as he siped at his milk. He was contempt with just watching Grillby as he went about his business in relative silence.

“He looks like a sweet kid, certainly well mannered. I wish my hatchlings were like that.” The fowl monster commented wistfully.

He stopped listing after that. He watched the patrons as they went about the business, some acted like regulars, others seemed to be new to the establishment.

“Yo.”

Hollow looked over to see an adult human taking the stool next to him.

“I’ve heard rumors about your burger and fries, came to see if they're worth the praise.” They said.

Grillby stepped into the back where the kitchen was. The human looked over at him and grinned.

“Hey kid, you here with anyone?” They asked.

He pointed to the door Grillby has wondered through to go prepare the meal.

“Ahh, he your uncle or something?”

“Family friend.”

“Oh? So he’s babysitting you right now, got it.”

Hollow shivered, then swerved around in his seat to look out the window. Then froze. Outside stood the mage, red eyes staring at him with cruel intent. One gloved hand was pressed against the glass pane, a horror to come promised in those bloody depths. Then he blinked, and the man wasn’t there anymore.

There as the faint smudge mark, proof that it hadn’t been his imagination at work. He was the target now, the new hunted. What should he do? The man wasn’t going to wait for him, staying would put the patrons at risk.

“Hey, kid, are you alright-“

“What the hell?!”

Both human and bird were shocked to see Hollow no longer in his seat. The human looked out the large window to see him run into an alleyway, tail no longer wrapped around him. A man appeared for a few seconds by the window, dressed in leather and plate armor, sword already in hand, then followed after the child, a soul-chilling smile on his face.

Grillby emerged from the back with the human’s order the moment the man was no longer in sight.

 

Both of them felt the dark presence as it washed over the city. Chara stopped walking, their body tensing and their face curled back into a snarl. Asriel shuddered and pressed his face into their hair. Whatever it was that was going on was bad news. The presence felt wrong in a way, like something that could exist but shouldn’t anyway. Then they picked up the kid’s presence, they were extremely close to the darkness’s core.

Chara took off down the street in the direction of the two.

“Uh, Chara, whatever it is, it feels really powerful. Are you sure we should be running toward it?” Asriel asked.

“The kid is near that thing, and we both have a bunch of questions for the brat- so yes, we should run towards the all-powerful darkness if we want to get answers!” Chara snapped.

 

Halfway through recess, the man’s dark presence washed over them. He wasn’t near them, the feeling would be crushing if he was. That means he was after hollow this time. Without a thought, they ran in the direction of the source, grabbing a stick on their way off the playground.

They probably get detention for this, and mom would ground them for the next decade or so, but that wasn;t for Hollow’s life. Sans and Papyrus were still adjusting to their new brother, and both would be crushed if they lost him. Besides, Gaster didn’t need his youngest dieing a second time.

 

Hollow had teleported as far as he could in one shot, then continued running as fast as his short legs would allow. He doubted the mage would kill him outright, his reaction had implied as such. But bystanders were a different story, he wouldn’t be as cautious with them.

The man would probably use him to flush out Frisk and kill them, then find mama and kill him right in front of him. It probably wouldn’t be a quick death either.

A swift kick to his back sent him flying forward, skipping across the pavement like a stone skipping across water. Looks like his pursuer had caught up.

“I was hoping you wouldn’t run, then I would have gotten my morning warm-ups over on those monsters and people in the bar.”

Hollow glared at the man as he struggled to his feet.

“I won’t kill you right here, first I’ll use you as bait for that human brat, then I hunt down that damn skeleton and kill you in front of him. I wonder if he’ll plead for your like as I’m ripping you to shreds?”


	32. Chapter 32

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The villain no longer is nameless, and the cavalry has arrived(not sorry).

The duo stumbled upon an unexpected sight; an adult man dressed in leather and plait-mail armor held the kid off the ground by their neck. The kid was no longer in a body length sweater, their skeleton tail thrashing about as they clawed at the man’s hands with gloved fingers, face pale and frantic. The kid tried to kick at their attacker by flailing their legs about, but the man held them at such a distance where their goal was just out of reach.

The man caught sight of them out of the corner of an eye. Bloody red eyes, a color not unlike Chara’s, fell upon them like ice water. The man’s head tilted ever so slightly to the right. A red-eyed kid and a yellow flower with a face on it wasn’t something you saw every day.

“And who are the two of you?” The man asked in a leveled voice.

Unlike Chara’s stare, this man held nothing human in his gaze. Not a single speck of love of kindness could be found within those soul-piercing depths. It made Chara feel fear. The man’s gaze stripped them bare of any defenses and cover, laying their souls and minds out for him to see.

This man, he was unlike any person from their village. His cruelty knew no boundaries.

“Chara Dreemurr!” They spat.

Now was not the time to degenerate into a shivering ball of fear, and it certainly wasn’t the time to let him see on their face just how intimidated they felt.

“A-Azriel Dreem-mu-murr.” Azriel fumbled beside them.

The man’s pupils dilated ever so slightly. The corners of his mouth twitching up just the slightest bit. Some part of their names were familiar to him.

“So the two of you are the grandchildren of the monster king? A human and a flower, related to that old goat?” The man let out a fit of laughter, tossing his head back as if they’d just told him a funny joke. “Who’d have thought!”

“We’re the kid’s of Asgore Dreemurr!” Chara growled. "Not his grandkids!”

The man’s laughter quieted, and he eyed them.

“So the runt of the litter became king? Who’d have guessed that little furball would be the one to survive!” The man giggled. “The youngest becomes king… the coward of the bunch is the only one left, sounds like a joke.”

The kid wiggled and squirmed in the man’s grasp, one shoe had slipped off and clattered to the ground during their captor’s fit of laughter. They continued their fruitless attempt at freeing themselves from his grip. They gave the two a look of ‘Run! Don’t bother with me- got out of here!’

“Hmm, I think the brat’s sure name is also Dreemurr… they your sibling or something?” The man asked. “I wonder, how much it’s going to hurt for the two of you when I kill them.”

The man had on the most infuriating expression, mouth curled into a subtle smirt with his head tilted to one side. Oh, how they wanted to cut that smirk off and run him through with their knife.

“H-hey, B-b-b-bastard! L-l-let the k-ki-kid go!”Asriel ordered.

The man raised an eyebrow and looked at his squirming captive.

“Now why would I do that? This taboo brat here is the perfect bate for my target, he’ll have them right where I want them. More than that, I’ll make that damn skeleton bastard regret humiliating me like that, no one suppresses my power and gets away with it.”

The expression on the man’s face was inhuman, a smile of pure malice refined with glee born from sadistic thoughts. It made Chara’s creepy face look like nothing in comparison. Did the guy even have a soul? It seemed impossible for a person with a soul to have such cold and cruel eyes.

A large stick sailed through the air above them, only to be cut in two by a sword held easily in the man’s right hand. Neither of them had seen the weapon, most likely because the sheath was on his back, where his body would naturally obscure it from view.

That moment was all the kid needed to wrench free of the hand on their neck and teleport, materializing next to them, coughing and wheezing.

“Hollow!” Frisk cried, darting to the kid’s side.  


The kid gave them a thankful nod as they knelt down beside them, but didn’t say anything for obvious reasons.

“Like moths to a bonfire.” The man purred, grinning like a snake. “The ambassador brat, the baboo brat, and even the prince brats- my luckiest day by far!”

Chara glared at him.

Hollow summed a wave of bones in time to keep the man from getting in close, instead of forcing him to jump back. The moment he landed he pushed back up in preparation for a downward slash. Blue bones popped into existence in layers above them, forcing their attacker to fall to the left.

Hollow didn’t miss a beat when they manifested a gaster blaster and open fired. Chara looked at them in bewildered amazement, how old was this kid? Hollow continued this sort of strategy, keeping the man at bay while also cornering him into a position to blast him. But everyone had a limit. Gaster blasters were magic consuming attacks, for a child, it drained at their stamina like karmatic poison. The attacks began lagging and the power of each attack was dipping with every turn. Beads of sweat were forming on the kid’s pale forehead.

“Shit!” Chara reached.

The man used a volley of red bullets to smash the white bones in his way. Blood roared in their ears as he advanced. Eventually looming over them, smiling no less sadistically than usual, sword brought up high over their heads, the edges cracking with magic.

Before he could follow through, the man was sent stumbling back as a yellow arrow of magic embedded itself in his sword shoulder. The man glared at them, his smile replaced with a snarl. The arrow disintegrated as the snap of a sting echoed behind them, followed by a second shot that forced the man back further.

“I should have known one of you would show up!” Their attacker hissed.

The four spun around to see who their savior was. Frisk cried with joy as a human dressed in muted brown leather emerged from the shadows.

“Hydel!” They cheered.

The archer mage smiled. In his free hand, a new arrow shimmered into existence. He knicked the arrow, and then let it lose. His efforts were rewarded by a sharp cry from his opponent.

“Sorry I’m a bit late, turns out manifesting a body is harder than you’d think.” He apologized with a wink.

“Now then,” His expression did a 180 has his gaze shifted from the children to the mage on the other side of them. “We’ll personally make sure this isn’t your lucky day.”

“We’ll make you regret coming back!”

A seconds person emerged from the shadows, charging past Hydel and leaping over them. Their gloved fists pulsated with orange light.

“Naui!”

Those fists were stopped inches from the red mage’s face by a barrier of green. Spanks of magic flew and the two were forced back. Naui skidded to a stop, then charged at the man again, this time his fist collided with the hard steel of the sword.

“This time we don’t have to hold back and pretend, and we’ll do more than altering a spell with kindness, Decishur!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the long Hiatus, but I'm back with a new chapter.


	33. Chapter 33

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Goat mom is not going to be happy when she learns Frisk skipped to go fight a villain, even if it was to save a friend.

"Asgore, please do not blame yourself- Alazere wouldn’t want you to.” Gaster said, placing a hand on the young prince’s shoulder. “Everyone knew it was a losing battle from the start. It was the humans who instigated the fight, and it is humans who are to blame, not you. Your father has said as much.”

Asgore remained silent, refusing to even look up at him. Sighing, he hugged his dear friend closer.

Then Asgore began crying, harsh sobbing made his enormous bulk quiver like a tree in a windstorm. Sturdy, gentle paws grip his arms as he stepped back, eyes bleary with falling tears looked at him with such sadness and guilt.

“How can you say I’m not to blame? I was right there and yet I did nothing! My brother is dead and I let him die.” Asgore cried. “I should be the one dead- it’s not like I matter in the grand scheme of things, I’m the youngest brother… I’m just the feeble youngest son who can’t do anything on his own."

Gaster gritted his teeth.

This was not good, Asgore’s self-hate was causing his hope to plummet, right now it was just barely in the double digits. Alazere would not want his beloved younger brother tormenting himself like this, and neither would the two eldest princes either. Daicer and Houcin loved him too much for that.

It was time to be a good friend and smack some sense into the fuzzy idiot.

"Asgore,” He began, keeping his gaze steady with the royal boss monster’s. “What could you have done to help? You were mere inches away from becoming a pile of dust, you even told your brother you were as good as dead! Alazere knew you were badly wounded when he stepped in, he knew you were incapacitated. You say you let him die, but did you really have the chance to save him? You were unable to stand let alone use magic or a weapon! Your brother decided your life was worth enough to him to save, don’t go and waste the life he more than willingly traded for his own!”

The tight grip on his arm slackened, then fell away to Asgore’s sides. His friend’s tears were slowing and there was a clarity in his eyes. Good, that meant he was finally getting through to him. Toriel would be so proud of him.

“But, why?” Asgore demanded in a hoarse voice. “What about me is worth saving? I’m not strong nor am I really smart, I’m gullible and cry easily, why did he decide my life was worth it?”

“Because he decided this world needed your kind soul more than his own.” He answered. “After all, you were the one who spoke up for the half borns, acting as the voice of reason to such a horror when the rest of the court couldn’t care less about them. Even before the genocide of them, you were willing to stand up for them, and you made sure their deaths were not brushed off as though it meant nothing to monsters. And who was it that willingly calloused his court-soft paws by taking up a sword to fight alongside his people? To make sure they didn’t fight alone, and kept a sense of mercy? Asgore, you are stronger than you realize, in ways both your father and brothers often lack. Alazere knew this, and decided that kindness was needed.”

Asgore began crying again, this time to truly mourn his loss and not out of self-hate.

 

Decishur attacked first, letting loose a volley of red bullets. Naui dodged them all with the grace and skill of a violent swan. It might not have gotten him closer to the crimson mage, but it did infuriate the man. He grinned as his opponent snarled at him.

After the final bullet missed, Decishur charged at him, sword poised to attack. Naui smirked. He could see through the feint, their mentor had used the same trick many times before. The orange mage waited until the soulless mage was within range, then pivoted on one foot so the heel of the other would collide with his foe’s skull. Of course, Decishur would rais his sword to block the attack.

Just as predicted, his foot truck the flat side of the blade. Effectively preventing his foe from casting a green trap and binding him in place. The red mage growled as he drew back, watching him like an enraged hunter.

The man changed, his snarled melting into a grin.

“Tell me, do you know that taboo child’s origins?” He asked suddenly.

What does it matter?” Naui asked, an eyebrow raised.

“You’ve seen it, the child’s soul, it’s a human soul. We both know mixed bloods are always born with a boss monster soul. So then, why does your friend’s half-breed son have a human soul?”

Now it was Naui’s turn to snarl. He knew what the red mage was trying to do.

“I already know what Hollow is.” He barked. “True the boy might not have been created normally, but why should that matter to me? Gaster love’s the boy, it was that love that made him finish the process. I’m not a bigoted bastard like you!”

“Just because the kid was born a little different from us does not make him any less human or monster, he has just as much a right to live as the rest of us.” Hydel added. “Even the halfling children in the past had the same right, what humans did to them before the war was despicable. It was genocide.”

What humans had done to the halflings was terrible. And it was made all the more tragic when few monster’s cared about said genocide, just because those children had been born half human and half monster. But things have changed, and this time no one was going to stand by and let Hollow die because of his lineage.

“Why am I not surprised,” Decishur spat. “You two are monster sympathizers who chose those disgusting things over your own kind. Only your kind would call cleaning up humanity’s mistakes a genocide.”

Magic, icy grey in color, crackled within the pits of his eyes.

“Your dear friend will get front row to your deaths, I’ll make sure of it.” Decishur said, sheathing his sword. “Count your blessings.”

With that final warning, the mage took his leave. That same moment Grillby came running down from the other side of the ally, flames flickering with pastel yellows and deep violets. Naui causally walked over the elemental and placed a hand on his shoulder.

“I finally get to meet you face to face, Gaster is one lucky monster.”

 

Hydel said something of his own to Grillby, then the two adult humans disappeared. Chara and Flowy were both left dumbfounded by the whole ordeal as though the last few minutes were too out of this world to be a reality. To be fair, it kinda was.

Knowing the four were now acting as their guardian angels filled Frisk with determination.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That feeling when you realize you forgot your character's name and put a different one in. It's not fun =.=;


	34. Chapter 34

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A chapter in which Chara asks the right question and long-lost siblings share a hug.

To claim the boss monster now kneeling before him had been a challenge was an understatement. And a big one to boot. Neither party had come out of the fight unscathed, but after the long and dredged out battler, the human finally clawed out a victory.So even if he had gravely underestimated the powers of a boss monster, it did not matter now.

With a hand pressed to the bleeding cut on his flank, he stumbled forward to claim his prize. The large, one majestic creature with gracefully curling horns and snow white fur was not on all fours, body now stained rusty with mud and blood. One of the horns was broken clean off at the base, the other ruined by several cracks. The boss monster; Prince Daicer Dreemurr, had lost his final battle, and now it was time for a human to achieve the seemingly unthinkable.

Raising his sword high above his head with his free arm, the monster gave one final feeble attempt to fight back. The flames were both pretty and impressive, but they were as unstable as a candle flame in a windstorm. The blain stained crimson slipped into its chest with ease, and soon the prince’s great form crumbled into a pile of dust. He let the sword in his hand fall into the dust and stretched the now free palm to grab his prize; the inverted heart silvery white in color – a monster’s soul. With this power he could achieve his desire, now all he needed were six fools.

 

To say Toriel was unhappy with Fisk’s recent actions was the understatement of the century, probably of the millennium.

“Frisk, not only did you leave the school’s grounds, but you did so to go and run towards the man who is trying to kill you, give me one good reason why I shouldn’t ground you?” The lady boss monster asked with held back anger.

“Because Hollow was in danger! I couldn’t just sit back and hope for the best!” They defended.

Toriel didn’t yeald, glaring down at their ward with angry disapproval. Frisk held their ground. Yeah, what they did was stupid on many levels, they’ll admit that much. But that didn’t mean it wasn't worth it, Hollow had already died once.

“I’m sorry,” Hollow said. “It’s my fault, it’s because I’m a half-blooded taboo child, my existence put Frisk at risk, Chara and Asriel too. Blame me, not them.”

Sans slung an arm over his kid brother’s shoulders while Papyrus knelt down to coddle the very young child. Toriel sighed. Frisk trotted over and hugged the boy as well. The kid had too many things to deal with for someone as young as him.

“Hollow child, please don’t ever call yourself that again, there is nothing about you that is forbidden.”

“Tori’s right bro, She’sjust angry Frisk didn’t go get her before doing something dangerous, that’s all.”

“Can someone please explain the whole thing with the kid?” Chara asked, Flowy nodded vigorously next to their head.

Oh yeah, Chara and Asriel/Flowey were back from the underground and death. That was going to take some getting used to.

“Allow me to explain; Chara, meet you half-brother Hollow.” Frisk said, placing their hands on the boy in question’s shoulders.

Chara’s right eye twitched out of confusion and an emotion that could only be described as ‘WTF’. It was priceless. Asriel just crinkled his flower brow.

“What the hell are you talking about? I was an only child before I fell.” 

Oh, this would be good. Even Sans was internally laughing.

“Hollow is a monster-human hybrid with a synthetically conceived soul, your blood was used long ago to make the human part.” Frisk explained, and impish grin having blossomed on their face.

Chara’s newest expression with it’s myriad of emotions, it was a wonder of this world all on its own. 

“And how old is this kid?” They asked.

“Four, almost five.”

‘Chara.exe has stopped working’. It was the only way to describe the state of the red-eyed child’s face at the moment.

“I was made a little after you fell into the underground, but died before I could be born, and because of reasons and space-time stuff, was only born recently.” Hollow added, oblivious to Frisk’s intensionts.

“Hollow is also Pap’s and I’s younger bro.” Sans included.

“SANS, I THINK YOU AND FRISK BROKE THE NEW HUMAN.”

 

Even after the two had(in Chara's chase at least) somehow miraculously managed to process the life-changing dump of information, there were still questions left unanswered. Chara could have just let it go and accept the truth that they had a litter brother, who was also a brother to the skeleton brothers. Hollow was a good kid, and being a hybrid meant being different in a way they understood all too well, red eyes, after all, aren’t a normal trait among humans. But they were still compelled to find answers, whatever those might be.

“Asri, what do you think of him?” They asked.

“Hollow? He seems nice, and he reminds me of you, back before you had adjusted to like in the underground.” Their yellow petaled companion answered. 

Hollow either really liked places that were high off the ground or liked to pretend he was a bird, because they found the boy sitting on the roof of Toriel’s house staring off into the distance. He didn’t say anything when he noticed them, just teleported to the ground and looked at them with wide blue and black eyes. Innocent eyes.

“Can I ask you something?” Chara asked.

Hollow nodded. Did he know what it was they wanted to find the answer to?

“You said you died before you were born, when was that?”

The boy chewed at his lip, confliction in his eyes, mentally debating whether or not to answer the question. This hesitance alone was enough to confirm their suspicions; there was more to this than they suspected.

“It wasn’t just you and Asriel who died that night.” He said finally, not even meeting their eyes.

That was a cryptic answer. They already knew it was a premature birth, what else could die before being born mean? Obviously whatever was going on with the unborn version of Hollow was kept secret, but if it was just a stillbirth why was he avoiding their gaze. His body language made it clear this was a subject he would have rather avoided, so then why… Chara stiffened.

“Chara?” Asriel provided, noticing the look of horror on their face.

Hollow shot them an apologetic look, it felt like a punch to the gut. He had nothing to be sorry about, it was the other way around.

“I didn’t just get you killed Asri!” Their whisper was just loud enough for Asriel to hear.

“Chara, what do you-“

“Oh god- I killed both of my brothers!” They cried, mind reeling from this sudden and dark truth. “My anger had warped our magic, it screwed with Hollow’s development and cause his premature birth! I killed two people that night-“

Shock contorted Asriel’s expression, a shard of guilt stabbed at him. Before either could spiral into a pit of despair and self-loathing, small arms wrapped themselves around them both, a face buried itself into the fabric of Chara’s green and yellow sweater.

“Please don’t blame yourselves, only my parent knew about me at the time- not even Asgore knew about me. You couldn’t have known your anger warped magic would kill me, especially since you didn’t know about my existence.” Hollow pleaded. “So, Big sib, Asri, please don’t blame yourselves!”


	35. Chapter 35

“Hey, Dad, who is Decishure? You know him? ‘Cause he sure knows you.”

“[You’d only know that name if they’ve returned now as well. To answer your question, it’s yes, unfortunately.]”

“Who is he? Besides the obvious bad news.”

“[A mage from the way. Vile and bigoted in his views of monsters, but he was one of the most powerful mages, and had the highest body count by the end. He was not held in high regards among humans, especially soldiers, his hard beliefs drove him to do many unfavorable deads.]”

“So basically; he’s a real bad apple and the opposite of someone you’d want to fight.”

“[Yes, in the past his LV was quite high, even among soldiers, and it is unlikely that fact has changed].”

“Heh, sounds like the two of you have quite the personal history.”

“[…Indeed].”

 

It had to be one of the most gruesome battles of the war to date, for both sides. The ground had been turned into a slippery and sticky muck by all the blood, dust mixed into the muck like a paste of death. Even the most seasoned soldiers on either side were finding it a challenge to traverse it. Moster might turn into piles of dust in death, but their armor and other positions stayed behind, along with the torn husks that were human corpses, and the incapacitated of both sides.

Teleportation quickly became a handy skill to have, not just to avoid oncoming attacks. It made traversing this nightmarish terrain simple and easy. Unlike the other monster soldiers, and even human mages, he carried no weapons other than a blade that could pass as either the shortest of short swords or the longest of daggers. He rarely ever used it in combat, his karmatic poison was more than effective enough in battle, with enemies that held such high LV.

The mage he fought with fell quickly as the poison at their HP. Now, reduced to a limp sack of flesh, the soul exited the body. A pale, ashen yellow thing littered with small cracks. He refused to absorb a human’s south, both because a had human friend and because it was pointless to him. Just as he prepared an attack to finish the ashen thing off, a human about his age emerged from the fray. The presence this human bled was off, it, combined with clothing coated in layer upon layer of dut left him on edge.  
It was a good thing he didn’t blink for he watched in shock and horror as the human cut the mage’s soul in two. Alarms blared in his mind's ear as the ash washed thing broke apart, the grin on the other’s face was dripping with malice. Those eyes, those cold, hungry red that might devour his soul if given the chance. This was no ordinary human.

They raised their sword, tip pointed at him, posed as though to attack. And attack they did. Their sword cut through the air, sending an arc of red magic fly in his direction. Teleporting out of the way, he summoned a wave of bones, watching as the human cut through them like wheat stalks. A volley of crimson bullets flew at him, the pattern unlike anything any other mage had ever used on him in the bast. Pain lanced up through his arm when one of those little red bullets clipped his left arm, the power in it was insane. The force in that single bullet sent him sprawling int the muck. A heavy boot came down hard on his sternum, leaving pain through most of his ribs, the bones undoubtedly cracking under such force. Before any more harm could be inflicted, he teleported to his feet a yard from his foe, hunched over and clutching both his chest and left arm. Nothing was completely broken, but by god did it hurt!

“So you’re the strong monster I’ve heard so much about- I’m glad to know the stories about you aren’t total works of fiction.” The war mage purred, their red eyes glinting with glee. “I do hope you won’t disappoint me, that water elemental I fought before was.”

His body stood on end.This was no ordinary foe, if the boast of defeating an elemental was the full truth and not an exaggeration in any form, this might be more than he could chew. The mage rushed at him with speeds only capable by a fighter in light armor. Jumping back to avoid a non-lethal slash of trapping magic, he hurled a wave of blue bones at the mage. They knew such an attack only harmed a moving foe, they had probably even used such attacks in the past. But skeletons rarely, if ever, use blue attacks for just that, and this mage didn’t know that. As his foe pushed off to rush at him again, their red soul changed to a dark blue and they found this surprise after being forced into the muck.

Rege burned in the depths of those crimson irises. They hadn’t caught a skeleton before, otherwise they would have known in a general sense how his fighting style worked. The slick ground made it easier to throw the mage around as he altered gravity, sending them into the ground over and over again. The amount of damage taken from his karmatic position in the grand scheme was very little. Just how much HP did the bastard have?

Finally the battle came to a resolve, both of them exchanging a final blow. A beam of white magic from a blaster his the mage square in their chest, the hilt of their sword crashing painfully into his right shoulder and collarbone. The force of the attacks sent them both sprawling into the muck, though he was able to easily teleport to his feet. The mage glared at him from the ground, lips drawn into a snarled and eyes practically glowing red with fury. Undoubtedly, if they could stand they would charge at him again. Even if they were partially incapacitated, it would still be a hellish time trying to kill them. Clutching his smarting shoulder, he chose to end the fight and leave, teleporting away to find help. The mage’s glair bore into him, even when he was out of the other’s sight, glare burning into his back.

Those red eyes remained on him for a long time, filled with murderous promise for the next time their paths crossed again. Hopefully that next time would be never.


	36. Chapter 36

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> school still exists, even for the savior of monsters.

“Bye mom! Bye Frisk! See you two after school!” Chara called.

“Goodbye my children, please be good for Alphys and Undyn while I am away.”

“I promise to keep Chara out of trouble.”

Chara shot their kid brother a glaring look, but the near five-year-old either didn’t notice(unlikely) or was unbothered by their gaze(likely). This was the boy who had once lived in hiding from the entire underground as well as crossed blows with a soulless, high Lved adult mage several times. And said mage wanted him and Frisk dead.

“Don’t get me wrong, I like not having to deal with that grinning trash bag, but why couldn’t he watch us again?” Asriel asked.

“Because brother said he had stuff to do, really important stuff.” Hollow replied.

“Soooo,” Chara started. “We have exactly 10 minutes or so before Alphys and her girlfriend show up… who want’s to play Uno?”

 

“You don’t have to come with us ya know.”

“Y-yeah, mom! D-don’t feel obliged to c-come with us.”

“Nonsense! I came here to spend time with my beloved daughter and her girlfriend, and that’s what I plan on doing. Besides, I have useful experience in the realm of watching children.”

Alphys opened her mouth to say more as Undyn reached for the doorknob.

“No! No no NO!”

The children were in the living room on the floor, a pile of colorful card’s between them. Hollow had just done, uh, something to cause Chara to start fuming, he continued to look both innocent and happy. Asriel just shook his head.

“You said you’ve never played Uno before!” Chara snarled.

“Correct, but there are other cards gamed out there, and some are like this one. Mama and I once played go fish for a week straight, no brakes!” Hollow replied smiling.

At least there was no bloody murder yet. That was a good sign, right?

“Go fish, the second greatest destroyer of friendships, second only bu Mario cart and it’s infamous blue shell.”

“So, where are the troublemakers at?” Edna asked.

Chara, now noticing the adults were here, upturned the pile of cards and scattered Uno cards all over the floor.

“I proclaim this match a draw!”

 

The machine appeared to hold itself together well enough, a few spots needed tweaking before he could use it, just to make sure it would work properly later. Maybe this time it would work, and if not this attempt then perhaps the next. This time he wouldn’t secretly work himself to the bone, that was the beauty of it; he was no longer the only one who knew what he knew. Now he had others to lean on for moral support, making a once daunting task manageable.

“Just a little longer, once I get this in working order I’ll have you out… I hope.”

Welp, time to get ready for attempt 1.

 

“You are still unable to use the full extent of your powers, and as long as my seal holds strong, that will not change.”

“Your fellow humans feared monsters because we were the most likely to absorb a human’s soul and create a merge. But they forgot that it wasn't just monsters that can absorb souls.”

“What humans should have feared was the possibility of one of their own besting a boss monster… after all, a boss monster’s soul can persist after death. Besides, it wasn't we monster’s who dealt the first blow.”

“Still, this is a better outcome than the alternative, I shudder to think what could have happened had you claimed the soul of a hybrid instead. You would have still achieved a merge and the power that comes with, but on top of that you would have claimed the great magical dexterity that hybrids pose.”

“There is a reason, after all, why all of the hybrids were born with boss monster souls.”

 

“First Alszere, and now Dacier is dead,” King Cerbius murmured. “Do humans intent to not only beat us, but perform regicide as well? If that is their intention, it is a cruel plan indeed.”

Asgore wanted nothing more than to find a hidden place to huddle into and cry, but he couldn’t. He was a prince and did not have such luxury as that, he had a duty to his people and to his family to be here. The people more than ever needed hope in these dark times.

“Whoever managed to best Dacier on their own is not a foe to be taken lightly, he was the strongest brother among us.” Houcin said.

Dacier had been championed for his impressive strength, even before this bitter war. Not just any human could have bested him in single combat. Whoever the perpetrator was, they deserved all the caution the winds could hold.

“Unfortunately we do not have the time to grieve this loss further, Houcin, you are now the crowned prince.” Their father decreed.

“I understand, father, and I pledge to do my best to lead out people alongside you.”

Come to think of it, he hadn’t seen Gaster recently. And the skeleton had been acting strangely as of late, ever since he saw Decier’s remains.

“This is more than just a loss of life, someone has chosen to do the unthinkable.” His friend had told him then.

It was a cryptic message, even for him. What was it his friend had learned by staring at that pile of dust? For some strange reason, though, Asgore had the feeling that he didn’t want to know what his friend had meant.

 

Asgore carefully tipped the plastic blue watering pail, droplets of water rained gently onto the flower below. It was nice to take a break every now and then, paperwork wasn’t the most… ‘pleasant’ of jobs in his opinion. Caring for his garden was therapeutic.

“I see now how you got the nickname ‘fluffybuns’.” A voice behind him said.

Rotating his head, he spied the U.S diplomat standing there at the entrance of the greenhouse, her right shoulder resting against the doorframe, a quirky smile on her cherry colored lips.

“A giant goat monster with fangs and claws isn’t something you see every day, it’s even pleasant in its own way.” She commented.

Oh! Howdy Irina, let me finish watering this orchid and I’ll make us some tea.” The king replied.

“Take your time Asgore, don’t feel compelled to rush for my sake, I just stopped by for a quick visit between friends.”

Asgore nodded and continued with his task at hand. Out of the corner of eyes, he watched Irina as she knelt down to examine a cluster of potted golden snapdragons. Her blue nails carefully as they traced the curve of a petal.

“You have a way with flowers Asgore, no matter the species they always end up blooming in your care.” Irina said.

“Thank you, gardening has always been a love of mine, it might not be easy as people think, but it is rewarding in the end.” He replied.

“I hear people say the same about children; how hard it is to rear them into adulthood, but how rewarding it is in the end. I wonder if it’s true.”

Asgore flattered. Once happy memories from long ago, of his two children running about, left a bitter aftertaste in his mouth. His friend noticed this change in demeanor. 

“I’m sorry for bringing up a sore subject for you.” She said.

“It’s… alright, we forget about things all the time. This is just the difference between myself and Toriel; I just haven’t moved on yet.” He responded. “I’ve never handled loss well,”

“Now even back then…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *That one section with only dialog is one person speaking.


	37. Chapter 37

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When you think about it, other than body composition and souls, what makes humans different from monsters?

“Do you want to talk about it? The child you’ve lost- I’ll understand if you don’t, but I hear that talking about tragedy can help.” Irina offered.

Asgore stared down at the cup nestled between his paws and musted over the offer. The steaming golden brown content of his tiny porcelain cup distorted the light, swirling with fragments of reflection. Finally he came to a decision.

“I think I will take you up on that offer, but only if you do not mind the ramblings of an old man.” He joked.

“Oh that’s quite alright with me, you are one of the pleasantest old goats I’ve talked with, and in my line of work, I’ve talked with several.” She replied just as playfully.

The two shared an easy moment of laughter before the grim reality returned. Asgore began his tale.

“It was not just one child I’ve lost, but two.” He clarified. “Soon after our imprisonment and my father’s death, Toriel and I married and had a son, his name was Asriel. He was a pure-hearted child, though more than a tad shy, his title of crowned prince made it hard for him to find friends. Then, when he was a little older than 9, our second child fell into our lives, by quite literally falling into the underground.”

“Asrel hmmm, was it that or Torgor?” Irina japed playfully.

Asgore chuckled. “No, I am not that bad with names, besides, it wasn't I who came up with it.”

“Chara was the first fallen, they were around Asriel’s age. We never learned why they came to a mountain said to be cursed, but it wasn’t for a happy reason, they completely despised humanity, and that hate often caused a great self-loathing.” Asgore closed his eyes. “We did our best to help them, we gave them all the affection and love we could, but some wounds can’t simply be healed with magic. We quickly adopted Chara, raised them as our own alongside Asriel, the two were the closest of friends. A link  
among our people had formed, and for a time the underground was filled with hope.”

Asgore smiled, then that smile soured like milk. This was the turning point, when everything would fall apart. Irina braced her mind for the coming tragedy.

“And then one day Chara fell violently ill, we never did learn what it was they caught. But with how they suffered, and an accident that had occurred earlier… I think it was poison, my garden had contained buttercups at the time.” Asgore mused. “Within an evening they were at death’s door.”

He could remember the salty tang of their sweat and the acrid sharpness of vomit, and even the faint metallic hints of blood. How frail their body bad become, how weak it looked, how they struggled for every breath. He even remembered the confliction look on Asriel’s face as he clutched one of their hands tightly in his.

“That night Chara passed away, and Asriel absorbed their soul.”

Irina placed a hand on one of his, eyes glinting with concern. This wasn’t the worst, that had yet to come. Did she already have a guess?

“Chara had talked about the golden flowers of their home, and how they wished to see them one last time. Asriel collected their body and crossed the barrier, traveling to a human village to grant their friend’s dying wish.” Asgore had to pause to collect himself. “When the sun rose at saw, the villagers found Asriel cradling their body among golden flowers, and believing that he had killed the child, they attacked without mercy.He had the power to kill them all, to raze the entire village to the ground if he wanted to. Instead he chose to spare them, simply smiling and leaving with Chara’s body. Asriel returned to us gravely wounded. In our arms we cradled him as his body crumbled to dust.”

I can only imagine what it was like, losing both children in the span of a night. It is something I will probably never deal with, I am sorry for bringing it up.” Irina said.

“It is alright, Frisk helped me remember to forgive. Thank you for listing to my rambling, talking about it did help.” Asgore replied.

 

"I was certain I would die before a half-born would enter this world again, but I suppose it isn’t really that surprising. Still, it’s nice to be proven wrong in this case.” Edna said.

Hollow was fast asleep, head resting on her lap, body twisted like a snoozing cat. A blanket had been tossed over his lower body by Chara, they gazed at his napping form with a small smile.

“What happened to the monster-human children anyway?” Chara asked. “The goy trying to kill Frisk called him a taboo child, among other things that I’m pretty sure were slurries.”

“That’s something I’ve been wondering about too.” Undyn agreed. “Wait, someone called Hollow a taboo?”

“Sh!” Alphys shushed. “Hollow’s still sleeping!”

Undyn gave her girlfriend a sheepish smile. Edna shook her head in amusement as she stroked the boy’s hair, it was soft and fluffy, not unlike the fur of a dog monster. The coloring was even exact. She both couldn’t believe and fully understood why someone would want to kill him.

“Before the war between humans and monsters, there were those who would live together and have families. These couples were rare, even before tensions flared. The children born of this union were called many things, the majority were slurries. Both humans and monsters alike saw these children as living crimes, humans hated their existence more than our own.” Edna explained.

She saw the looks of utter disgust on both Chara’s and Undyn's faces. Alphys and the flower looked mortified. Was it really that surprising to learn monsters could be just as bigoted as humans? R maybe it was just the implied treatment of these children as a whole that caused such reactions.

“These odd families lived outside of society because of this prejudice from both sides. Before the war, humans took action first against these hybrid children, killing them and often times their parents as well in a genocide. It mattered little to the humans how young these children were, newborns and even unborn children were among those killed. We monsters did nothing to stop this loss of life, nor did we do anything to help them. King Asgore and a few others were appalled by this massacre, but by then it was too late.”

Alphys had her hands over her mouth, a few tears streaking down her cheeks. Chara and Undyn were bristling with anger. Asriel’s petals drooped with sorrow.

“We just stood by and let humans get away with it? Simply because enough of us didn’t care about these kids? “Undyn hissed out between clenched teeth.

“Yes, we monsters are not so different from humans, we have had our eras of bigotry as well.” Edna sighed. “Though all of those children had boss monster souls, I don’t think I’ve ever heard of a hybrid born with a human soul.”

Alphys and Asriel froze.

“H-h-hehehe, really? N-never w-w-would have guessed.” Alphys replied.

There was no reasonable way to explain that the boy resting on her lap was an experiment gone wrong created by a person who no longer existed. Yeah, that would fly over her like a lead zeppelin.


	38. Chapter 38

This was it – time to see if the machine worked or failed. Taking in a shaky breath, he pressed the button and watched as everything came alive. So far so good, no warning lights blinking. It would take time for the machine to collect enough magic, even this close to the core. He watched as magic began pooling in the center of the chamber. Fingers were crossed at this point.

The machine continued to collect magic at a steady pace, eventually having a large enough bubble to work with. Then came phase two, still no warning light blinked on. He watched with a growing glee as the ‘bubble’ of magic began warping and twisting into a more flat and circular shape. It wasn’s a full portal just yet, but if all continued along like this, he might actually have a functional portal to the void!

“This might actually work!” Sans all but cheered to the emptiness of his workshop.

 

Hollow woke from his nap to the noises of an angry fish lady, a stuttering lizard scientist, and undead human child, and a soulless prince turned flower playing a came. It was some sort of multiplayer racing game with whimsically cartoonish character, the stage they were racing in was some strange rainbow path in space overlooking a planet not unlike earth, weird astral images of mushrooms and turtle shells in rainbow colors floated along the path.

So far nothing was broken and no one was sporting anything worse and wounded pride, but Undyn was obviously angry and the two royal siblings were giggling. Alphys looked as flustered as monsterly possible, smack in the middle of the two parties, beads of sweat dribbling down her yellow brow.

“You wanna’ try and pass me? You losers better hope you’ve got a red shell!” Undyn shouted maniacally.

“Pu-lease,” Asriel drawled out. “all I need is a banana and you’ll be begging me for mercy.”

“Who said a red shell was the worst thing you had to worry about, I’ve got a blue one just waiting for you fish sticks.” Chara replied darkly.

The scary meter between the three had been notched up to 11. Either bets between players were involved, or this game was just bringing out the competitive worst in people. Hopefully it was just the former. Though, judging by the way Alphys was squirming, the likelihood of that was low.

“A-and this is W-why I s-said we should have p-played Mario Party instead!” Alphys sighed.

So it was just the game then. Or maybe it was just the players.

“Athbdisdbgisdg!” Undyn screeched, forcing everyone to cover their ears.

The controller in her vice grip groaned in loud protest, thankfully she let it clatter to the carpet before it was broken in two. Chara and Asriel collapsed to the ground in fits of laughter.

“I don’t think Mario Party would have solved anything, some people just show their worst in competition.” Edna said with a shrug.

“Hehehe, see fish stick, told you we would win!”

“And you were so confident we’d end in last place too!”

If glares were spears, the one undyns was shooting at the two royal siblings would have left them the envy of swiss cheese everywhere with all holes they would have had. 

“Uhh, l-let’s play a d-d-different game, s-so no one end up b-breaking anything. Alphys suggested.

Or we could go down to the park and burn off some energy there.” Edna offered. “Alphys is right though, Ms. Toriel would not take kindly to someone breaking something.”

The park sounded like a good idea, though Hollow had only visited one. It was the one just outside Frisk’s school building. Sure he had been alone at the time, but it had been a fun enough experience to make him jump up and run to retrace his had and gloves.

“Well then, I think Hollow just decided for us.” Edna mused.

“Yeah, we can’t just let the kid go alone, let’s go.” Undyn said.

“Great, human interaction, my favorite thing in the world.” Chara grumbled, words dripping with sarcasm.

They couldn’t exactly fault the kid though, was was only 4, and had lived up until now interacting with only one other person. That and that same amount of his life had been spent hiding away from others, never able to do something publicly for fear of discovery, so it made sense that he literally jumped at a chance like this. That said, it didn’t mean they had to like it.

 

“I know the relationship between you and your wife is rocky, so what would that make you to Frisk?” Irina asked.

“Hmm,” Asgore pondered. “I do not know myself, but I have chosen for now to act as a part of their life. Toriel and I do not have the same relationship we once had, and is entirely possible we will never be that intimate again, so I will take what I can.”

Irina smiled. “You always talk as such a gentle king, it makes me curious, do you take after your father in that regard?”

“No, my gentleness comes from my mother, my elder brothers were the ones most like father.” Asgore replied.

“Brothers?” She inquired, a brow raised curiously.

“Yes, I was the youngest of four, my elder brothers where the ones raised to assume the thrown, I was raised to act as counsel to them.” He explained.

“Oh, it must have been a surprise to everyone when you did assume the thrown then?”

“…No, not at that point. The only reason I am king is that my brothers' did not survive the war, I was the only one left and that survivor’s guilt had remained with me.”

Irine placed a hand on one of Asgore’s much larger ones, a gesture of comfort. Her eyes glittered with a sorrow not unlike his own.

“I too have lost family to war, I was the youngest of two, and my elder brother died in a war while I was in high school.” She said. “I almost was unable to attend the funeral, I was that much of a mess.”

The two sat like that in silence, simply offering the other comfort in their presence as the lukewarm tea in their cups cooled further. It was unlikely either would take another sip, let alone finish the drink in time to savor it.

 

The closest park in relation to Toriel’s house was a few block down the west leading street. It was an expansive field with a pair of simple play structures in the middle of a bark chip backed pit. There were no other parents around, it was a work day after all. 

Chara was happy because that meant they could avoid human interactions. Asriel shrugged, but was internally glad he wouldn’t have to put up with screaming toddlers and people staring at him. Hollow was Hollow. He was still socially awkward enough that it was probably a good thing they were the only one there.

After having been kept a secret for the entire world, the 4-year old was still adjusting, and being surrounded by so many strangers would have probably overwhelmed the boy.

Hollow made a bee-line for the swings, Chara made a mad dash to the plat structure, and Undyn… suplexed a rock. Why? Simply because she could.

 

The skeleton had indeed sealed away the power he had gained from that instance. How annoying. Monster seals were a nightmare to break, and the natural amount of power had had was simply not enough. It seems he would have more of a use of the brat.  


How had the skeleton learned of his little secret anyhow? The only potential witnesses had been dust before he challenged the eldest prince, no one had seen him absorb the soul, and even boss monster souls only lasted a few minutes after death.

So then, how did it come to pass that a monster would learn of his true power, and even recognize the source of it? That was something he would have to ask the monster when next they met.

He had the time to wait, he wasn’t in any rush to kill the human child. And should they die by more natural causes, then all he had to do was find a target that would get him the same outcome.


	39. Chapter 39

What was going on outside?

He could feel the magic pooling within the empty town of Snowdin, like the stream of water from a faucet. Eventually, the flow of magic stopped, but the energy itself stayed put. Now the magic was undergoing manipulation, being poked and prodded into shape for some master plan. Just what in the blazes was going on?

The barrier had broken months ago, so all the monsters should be up on the surface? Why would anyone in their right mind return?He did have an idea of someone who might return, to finish what they started. But they had stopped trying years ago, why would they return to what was certain failure? He knew well all the suffering that machine had caused them, hours of lost sleep and a near dance with death.

“You fool, why are you trying to fix what never worked?”

“I would love to leave this place, but your life is not worth my freedom.”

Yes, it was terrible being trapped in this place; never to hold your children again, and only able to watch as those you cared about were reduced to dust over and over again. It had almost driven him insane. That still didn’t mean that dust was worth escape, just like he hadn’t believed the death of innocents was worth the freedom of an entire race.

Unfortunately, he was unable to intervene, all he could do was watch and see what fate had planned: heads or tails – failure of success.

 

It took him a while to notice he could no longer see anyone else in the area. The moment he did notice his lack of company, anxiety settled in. Decishur was the definition of impatience, and for whatever reason greatly despised Mama. It didn’t take a leap in logic to assume the man would make his appearance soon. Just because the red mage wasn’t in sight did not mean he could ease up, he needed to get back to the others as soon as possible. The presence of others would detur his hunter.

“My, my, praise the lucky stars above, they just gifted me a lovely present!” An all to familiar voice practically sang.

Hollow didn’t bother to risk turning around, he didn’t need to, he already knew who the person was. He ran as fast as his child legs would allow, there wasn’t time to summon a baster to ride. The lack of heavier, adult step to indicate a chase prickled at his mind. Why hasn’t Decishur running after him? The answer came in a downward cut intended to cut him vertically in two. He skidded to a stop just in front of the blade’s edge. Decushur was still as poised as ever.

“Your attempt at escape was really predictable.” He commented. “Bad for you, but good for me, predictable means easier to counter. Now be a good little freak and surrender.”

Decishur reached a hand out to grab him, but Hollow backed out of reach in refusal.

“Ch, guess we’re doing this the hard way then.”

Decushur’s eyes flashed fliver for a half second, then a dome of blue magic encircled them, cutting the boy off from a normal escape.He followed up by aiming a blow at the boy’s right flank. Hollow darted out of range, ear to put and maintain as much distance between them as the cage would allow.

“Another silver spark,” Hollow noted in the back of his mind.

“Why do you hate mama so much?” He asked.

“Mama- ahh, you mean that bastard skeleton, Gaster.” Decishur said, face contorting into a nasty smile. “Let’s just say he’s done more to piss me off than just beat me. I have the potential power to be unbeatable, but as long as his seal remains, I’m still human.”

The mage lunged at him again, bridging the distance between them, this time forcing Hollow’s back all but actually against the dome’s blue surface. Because of his small size, Hollow was able to duck and roll between Decishur’s legs.

 

“Uhh, where’s Hollow?” Chara asked, finally noticing that lack of the kid’s presence.

“Hmm, he must have wandered off while we weren’t looking.” Edna answered. “And I thought I had my eye on the boy.”

“Crap! We need to find him pronto!” Undyn exclaimed, running off.

“O…Kay then- Chara and Asriel, I want the two of you an Alphys to go back to Toriel’s house and see if he wandered back there, I’ll look around.” Edn said.

The three nodded and headed off in the direction of The ex-queen’s home. Edna jogged off in a direction parallel to Undyn's. There was an unease settling in the pit of her stomach and she didn’t know why. Hopefully, they found the boy soon.

 

The portal opened like an eye would blink, one moment there was a swirling mass of techocolors, then it compacted into a just a tad shy from an invisible line, and finally re-expanded to become a pit of total black. The machine was still running smoothly, but he didn't know how many times he had before that changed.

Carefully inching up to the portal, Sans reached a hand into the inky colored darkness and then quickly pulled it out. It came back unharmed, and it opened and closed as fluidly as it should. This was a good start. Tanking in a breath to ease the rattling in his bones, he snagged a dive that would warn him to any changed that would need to suddenly haul ass back to the portal, then stepped into the void. If Gaster was still the goopy mess he was back in the pocket space, this was going to be one heck of a scavenger hunt.

But he’d made it this far, too far to chicken out now.It was obvious why the void had its name, everything was this darker-than-pitch black, that made everything look the same and disorienting. There was no telling which way was wich, so Sans made sure he was walking in a straight line, using the open portal as reference for the first few feet. He didn’t need to get lost in this place.

“Now if I was a monster removed from existence, where would I be” He asked himself.

“Sans?”

If he had skin, he most certainly would have jumped out of it right then and there. Whirling around, he came face to face with his father. The senior skeleton was indeed still a blob with a face on it, the black gook that made up his body was blending in seamlessly with the void.

“Finally found you! now let’s blow this popsicle joint.”


	40. Chapter 40

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Something lost is now something regained, and the family broken may now be whole again.

Something had changed.

It was as if reality itself had shifted, expanding upon itself for some unknown reason. It was different from when they broke the barrier and ended the underground’s time loop, this was a tiny ripple in comparison. But space-time did change, what it was now accommodating was unknown. No one else seemed to notice, not even Toriel. So whatever it was, the change was small.

Minor changed can still have a great impact down the line, they knew that from personal experience. They made a mental plan to check up on it after school, it would be a pleasant little distraction from homework and ambassador work.

 

“Did anyone else feel that?” Chara asked. “ ‘cause that was weird.”

“It depends, because I felt something too, something weird.” Asriel replied.

“I d-didn’t feel anything, what h-happened?” Alphys inquired.

If Alphys hadn’t felt anything change then there were two explanations; a) it was all in this head, or b) it was something minor. Option b seemed the most likely sense Asriel had felt something too.

“Something changed – reality wise, that’s what it felt like.” He explained.

Okay then, glad to know they weren’t going crazy. But why did they even feel that in the first place?

“Great to know I’m not the only one seemingly going crazy.” They joked “Whatever it was that just happened was probably some minor fix in the universe.”

They wondered if Firsk had felt it too, if it was just them and Asriel in this boat.

“Did we feel that because of determination? Or is it because of our situation?”

“W-well, whatever it is the two of you felt, it's p-probably is nothing.” Alphys said. “B-besides, we still need to find Hollow.”

The lizard lady was right. They’d checked the house and it was just as how they’d left it. That meant Hollow was somewhere else, and either was wandering around near the park looking for them, or was being held up and was unable to look for them. Hopefully it was the former.

Let’s head back, Undyn or your mom could have found him already, or maybe Hollow’s back at the park waiting for someone to find him.” Asriel said.

It was wishful thinking, but at this point it was either that or nothing, or the alternative no one wanted to think about.

 

Both were unsure how Gaster’s goopy form would react to exiting the void. Worst case scenario was he would have to go back because his body was reacting poorly to the outside world. Sans stepped through the portal first so he could be ready to assist his father. The elder skeleton paused as the portal’s threshold, the place between worlds, and steel his nerves for what would come next.

The first thing he felt was gravity, something the void didn’t exactly have. His gelatinous body buckled under the new force acting upon it. Then he was reminded that most of his soul was still cracked, and that a bit of it was even still scattered. The good that made up his body began convulsing, rippling and spasming almost the instant he collapsed onto the floor. His soul seared with pain born from it’s still broken stasis, making this even more of a hellish ordeal.

“Oh Shit!” Sans swore. “Dad!”

Sans snatched a syringe containing a red liquid and without stopping to think, plunged the needle into the black good of his father’s body.

“Please let this work!” He prayed as the red liquid drained away.

Nothing happened after a moment, and then a moment became a full second of nothing happening. A second moment passed with still no reaction, Sans’s hope plummeted, he might have to send his father back to the void if this continued. Finally, as he helped Gaster up, prepared to put him back in the void, something happened. The goop that was his father body dripped off like water, feeing white bone and the clothes he wore the day of the accident. 

Neither noticed when the portal blinked shut, they didn’t even care at that point anyhow.

“Okay, that was a thing.” Sans sighed. “Let’s never do that ever again.”

“I second that notion.”

 

“Hmm? What was that?”

Decishur pulled his gaze away from Hollow, distracted.

“The red mage wasn’t aware of what transpired below, he hadn’t known about Gaster’s removal from existence, that had happened after the barrier was created. But Hollow did know, and he was able to put the pieces together.

“Big bro did it! He fixed the machine!”

A feeling of glee bubbled up within the small child, his Mama was no longer trapped outside of existence, they could be a family now!

“Hu, whatever.” Decishur said, returning his focus to the task at hand.

Before the mage could properly resume his attack, a large rock broke through the side of the dome of blue magic, making a sizable opening in it.

“Uraaaahhhhhhhhhhhh!”

“What in the-“

Hollow grinned, he was well aware of who’s war cry that was. The cavalry had arrived. Undyn made her entrance by leaping through the hole she’d made, magic spears in both hands. She looked as close to her Undying form as was possible in this timeline.

“So you’re the punk that’s been dead set on Killing Frisk n’ Hollow.” She snarled. “Well today’s your unlucky day ‘cause I’m about to beat the sit out of you!”

Decishur raised an eyebrow in obvious amusement. He clearly wasn't intimidated by her antics. The hole in his magic dome vanished.

“You’ll beat me, the strongest mage ever to walk the earth? You think you have a chance to win against the most feared soul alive? I’ve encountered lunatics with more sanity than that.” Decishur scoffed.

“You think you're so full of yourself- I’ll make sure to take your pride down a peg or three!” Undyn countered.

“Fine then, it’s your grave, not mine.”

 

Edna was left perplexed. Something had changed- she could feel in in the air. Reality itself had warped to accommodate something it had lost. It was the opposite feeling of the one from years ago, from the day the core went critical. Then it felt like something had been lost, maybe now it had been found? The answer would come eventually, all she had to do was start looking, but that would come after she found Hollow. Finding him trumped chasing the ghosts of the past.

Still, a nagging feeling tugged at the back of her mind. She was unbelievably relieved and pissed off at the same time, but why?


	41. Chapter 41

As it turned out, Undyn had the advantage in the enclosed space. There was only so much room available, and with her weapon having the longer range, it was easy to keep Decishur at a distance. The man in question let out a growl of frustration as he jumped back to keep a spear from splitting his head open.He attempted to counter with a barrage of crimson bullets, but they were unable to break through Undyn’s guard wall of spears, the ones the dissipated were replaced before the opening could be acted upon.  


Several spars were sent zooming across the dome space, and though they followed straight vectors, with so many going in all directions in called for serious flexibility. And the flay spears were not all he had to worry about. Spears would erupt from the ground every so often, to keep from becoming skewered by them, he would have to employ the use of duck and roll maneuvers. He was able to cut through the magical weapons with relative ease, and earn him some breathing room, but he was still unable to bridge the distance between them.

“Heh, Looks like I’m not as weak as you thought I was.” Undyn smirked, taunting her foe.

Decishur glowered at her and attempted to run at her defenses again, but hidden spears formed him back once more. The mage observed his surroundings, seeing where existing spears were already located and taking not of potential spear locations.  


This time he made a headlong charge towards them, cutting down any spears in his path, and whatever he couldn’t cut down he let hit him.The attacks chiseled away at his health until it was a third of the way down. The damaged left him ruffled and scratched, but it did not impede his progress as he clawed his way towards the two. Hacking into the spear wall, the tide of battle changed.

The spears in Undyn’s hands clashed against the body of Decishur’s sword.

“Perhaps if I was a lesser fighter, your resourcefulness would have allowed winning, but in the end you are a monster, and I am leagues above you.” Decishur said.

“Keep on telling yourself that, but this ain’t over yet. Undyn replied with her toothy grin.

At this close of a range, he was unable to stop her from swiping him with her spear, casting trap green magic. Even without a soul, he was caught in place.

“Let’s see how you handle this!” She called.

She let loose an onslaught of arrow-shaped bullets, the white one going even faster than they had for Frisk. The yellow ones were slower, but changed direction just before impact; what they lacked in speed they made up for in trickery. Decishur was unable to keep up with the pace and managed to lose half of his remaining HP.

“Fine then, it seems I need to stop underestimating you, and start overestimating you.”

The mage’s eyes flashed silver for an instant, followed by the sound of shattering glass as Undyn’s magic was broken through, freeing him.

“I grow tired of these games. I suggest you think about your last words, in a moment you’ll be uttering them under my heel.”

Decishur had been going easy on her, Now, Undyn was the one being forced back. The power behind each swing of his sword was intense, and if not for crossing weapons with him at odd angles that negated most of the force behind impact, her weapons would have shattered every time, taking with what little upper hand she had left.

 

Gaster’s soul was still far from whole again, each piece was still separate from one another, but the boost of determination had allowed it to begin functioning properly again. At least he was finally out of that accursed place. Though, after years spent in what was essentially a shadow of his body, the concept of using his legs was still a work in progress.

“You should remain stable on that shot of determination, but let me know if you start deteriorating, okay?” Sans said.

“I will, but I pray that it won’t come to that, the sudden influx of determination was quite unpleasant.” Gaster replied.

His son shrugged.

“Sooo, how does it feel to be a part of existence again officially?”

Gaster let out a thoughtful sound.

“It’s… odd. I've been stuck in that good form for several decades now, and never had limbs besides my fingers. ‘Arms’ and ‘Legs’ are something I’m going to have to readjust to.”

Sans made a clicking sound.

“Well, anyway, it’s good to have you back. Everyone’ll be happy to see you.”

Gaster opened his jaw to respond, but was silenced. The elder skeleton hissed and let out a string of curses under his breath before scrambling unsteadily to his feet. Before Sans could ask him what was going on, his father was gone. Sans was left baffled.

 

Undyn hit the dirt with a thud, Decishur’s foot planted on her chest kept her down.

“Any last words before your dust cover’s my boot?” He asked. “Will they be a plea for mercy- no, you are much too proud for that. You gave me an interesting fight, at least you can boast that much to your comrades in the afterlife.”

Undyn opened her mouth to make a retort, only to watch as some sort of magic attack send the red mage flying.

“Mama!” Hollow exclaimed behind her.

Rolling over, she watched as Hallow was lifted into the arms of a skeleton she vaguely recognized from somewhere in the past. They were about as tall as Papyrus, just with slightly softer features. They were dressed in a black sweater and dress pants under a pristine white lab coat. They smiled warmly at the child in their arms before shifting their attention and glaring quite coldly at Decishur.

“You really are the determined type, a true cockroach.” They said coolly.

He glared at the skeleton with an intense, unmatched hate.

“If I’m a roach, then you’re pond scum, Gaster!”

That was Gaster? That explained why Hollow was sitting in their arms like he was, and the fact he’d called them mama earlier. 

Decishur rose to his feet, eyes still glowering, a smile cracking across his lips.

“Well, in the end this saves me the time and trouble of hunting you down.” He mused. “Now, will simply asking be enough to get you to break your seal?”

“We both know the answer to that.” Gaster replied coolly.

Decishur shrugged. “I was expecting that, so I’ll just make you break it.”

Undyn scrambled to her feet. The two were doing nothing more than glaring at each other, but the air between them was thick and heavy with tension, tension that was about to break. What had Decishur meant?  
Was he fighting at only partial strength?

She shuddered. If what she’d just survived was Decishur at less than full power, there was no way she’d survive full power. She wasn’t even sure Asgore or another human mage could survive. Just what was the red mage really? He didn’t seem like a real human.  
“I’ll make you wish you never survived that battle!”

Decishur sprinted towards Gaster, sword poised to run him through, a crazed expression on his face. Three beastly shaped skulls with pulsing violet eyes and crests of bone similar to Hollow’s emerged from thin air. Opening their massive, toothed maws, white magic crackled and then a laser of white magic shot out from each of them.

Decishur rolled out of the way, the ground where he once stood exploded into a shower of dirt. Hissing, he countered with a volley of crimson bullets in a most hellish of patterns. Gaster raised a wall of bones that didn’t so much as twitch under the force of the attack. After the last bullet was stopped, the wall broke apart was sail across the ground towards their target. Decishur was able to easily cut through them, but he was still forced back until his back was almost up against the dome’s wall.

“I’d rather not make this any longer than it has to be.” Gaster said.

With a wave of his free hand, a ring of the skull-shaped blasters encircled the mage, all with their jaws open. They didn’t fire all at once, instead several random ones would fire at a time. Decishur was forced to contort his body in odd ways to avoid the blasts, but he was unable to dodge all of them. By the end of the attack, his HP was close to empty.

“Heh, I’m not surprised really, you hot the jump on me this time.”

Heaving himself up, the barrier dropped and Deishur vanished.

Undyn found herself face to face with the father of her best friend.

“Thank you for helping Hollow, if you hadn’ then I Decishur would have certainly captured him. And thank you for being such a good friend to Papyrus.” Gaster said.

“No problem, Papyrus it too much of a dork that I couldn’t resist!”


	42. Chapter 42

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Gaster gets dunked by Edna.

“Hey, have we met before?” Undyn asked. “’Cause I swear your face is familiar. Just don’t remember where.”

“Oh we have, once in the past, you were a young child and I had to save you from falling off of my bookshelf,” Gaster replied whimsically. “Papyrus had joined you in your escapade, but because we little older than a toddler he wasn’t as high up, and hadn’t lost his grip.”

Undyn’s face flushed with embarrassment, the elder skeleton chuckled. If this was what it felt like to embarrass one’s own child with stories of the past, he would have a ball with Sans and Papyrus. He had plenty of those types of stories accumulated from even before his time in the void. Hopefully they wouldn’t hate him too much for gaining joy from their suffering.

“Oh, oh! Wasn’t that day also the one when big sib fell into the underground?” Hollow pointed out.

“You are correct, sometimes it slips my mind that you were self-aware that young. You were quite the observant little thing.” His father mused with a chuckle.

The trio didn’t have to wait long before Alphys and he Dreemurr siblings found them. 

“U-Undyn! There you are!” Alphys exclaimed, running over to her girlfriend. 

“Good to see you to Alphys!” Undyn responded. “Guess what? I went mano eh mano with the punk who’s been attacking Frisk! And it was Awesome!”

“Though he did have you pinned to the ground by the time I arrived, and would have reduced you to a pile of dust if I hadn’t intervened.” Gaster added lightly.

“Oh, yeah… Well it was freaking awesome when I had him in a deadlock!” She barked.

“W-woah! T-that s-s-sounds so c-cool!” Alphys said, star-struck.

Chara and Asriel watched the conversation from the sidelines. They weren't angry or scared of any of them, but the knowledge that they’d practically killed the unborn third son of the royal scientist made both of them hesitant to interact with him. There was no way you could just apologize for that.

“Both of you have been oddly quiet.” The scientist in question said, suddenly right next to them.

Chara stumbled sideways in surprise as the pair gazed up at him with bewildered eyes.

“Don’t feel the need to beat yourselves up over what happened in the past. I forgave you both a long time ago, and I know full well neither of you could have known.” Gaster said.

“Even so!” Chara shot back. “My plan ruined everything! Asriel and Hollow died because of my foolishness, and we didn’t even bring back a single human soul. And dad was broken by our loss, hurt so badly his kindness faltered and he declared war on humankind. Then mom left him. I single-handedly destroyed the hope of the entire underground.”

“Yes, that was the consequences of your actions.” Gaster agreed. “But, you didn’t foresee that at the time. While it is true what you did was incredibly foolish and selfish, you were only a child then, and still are a child. You made your decisions with good intentions in mind, and beating yourself up over the past will change nothing. Neither of you were the first to walk that path, there were those who did the same before, and there will be those who do the same well after.

“Besides, those that you’ve hurt have forgiven you; Toriel is overjoyed to have her children back in her arms, Hollow is ecstatic to finally interact with his older siblings, all three of them. I’m sure Asgore will be much like Toriel, just happy to finally have you both back and in his arms. No more frowns, cheer-“

“GASTER!”

The older skeleton monster paled, expression falling away into an ‘oh shit’ face as hindsight came back to haunt him. Edna stormed over to the group, eyes narrowed and homed in on Gaster.

“A-ah, Edna,” The monster in question stumbled. “How nice it is to see you again-“

“Zip in Wing Dings, don’t even try and weasel your way out of this!” Edna growled.

At that very moment everyone collectively knows he was about to get dunked.

“First of all, how dare you fall into the core right before my eyes and not even come tell me your alive when you finally get back from Delta knows where!”

He winced. Yep, there was no getting out of this one.

“Then you had to go and get your ass removed from existence and leave us all hanging, wondering what the heck is going on. Do you even comprehend the fact you left a child and a toddler, I repeat, CHILD and TODDLER alone and without parents? And now I find you here having a pleasant conversation like nothing's wrong!”

“Mrs. Edna, why are you yelling at Mama like that?” Hollow asked innocently.

“Oh boy, now I’m in for it.” Gaster thought.

“Gaster, care to explain?” Edna asked, voice dripping with deadly sweet anger.

“W-well, I may have accidentally created a human soul before the first human fell, and then created a body after.” He said cautiously.

…

“So, let me get this straight. You created a human soul through artificial means, then created a body, AND HAD THE NERVE TO KEEP IT A SECRET FROM ME?!” Everyone besides Alphys and Gaster jumped at the sudden rise in Edna’s voice. “Anything else you’d care to add?”

“I’ve also died once already!” Hollow piped up.

“GASTER!”

“Hey! That was out of my control! When Asriel absorbed Chara’s soul, it released a type of magic that interfered with the magic I was using to house Hollow’s developing body. Gillby hadn’t had the time or chance to call for help and had to choose who died!” Gaster protested.

“Grillby know about this?!”

“He stumbled upon the truth earlier that same evening, he was as ignorant as you before then!”

Edna gave him an unamused look.

“Edna, I’m sorry, okay? I was scared of what would happen if the truth came out, Chara had the protection of the royal family, but would that same protection apply to Hollow? A soul that was created by artificial means. Even if Hollow wasn't taken from me, my research might have been used to manufacture souls just for the purpose of breaking the barrier- and I couldn’t let that happen! Edna, Hollow’s soul was are of me when I first discovered him, even if he didn’t have a body and wasn't technically alive, he was conscious.” Gaster said.

Edna sighed.

“I… I understand, but it still hurts. You know I would have never asked any of that from you- heck I would have helped keep it a secret.”

“I know, I’m sorry I kept it a secret. You have every right to be angry at me, fear might be a powerful emotion but this doesn’t justify anything.”

Sans decided to show up at that moment.

“I finally found you- wait, what I miss?” He asked.

“My mom giving your dad a piece of her mind,” Alphys muttered. “She knows how to grill you alive when she’s angry.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Woah, dialog heavy chapter e.e But it was still funny writing it.


	43. Chapter 43

“Now that your back, I assume you’ll be returning to the lab before long?” Edna asked.

She was pretty sure she knew the answer already – you didn’t become a close friend of Gaster’s and not know how practically married to science he was – but felt compelled to ask anyway. Mostly because his answer was going to be priceless.

“Yes, my place has always been in one, like some eccentric housewife. It was the reason I became the royal scientist in the first place.” Gaster replied.

Edna broke out into a cackling fit of laughter. Seriously, only he could make lab work sound no different than cooking or housework, even though they worked with vastly different materials.

“Ahh, that mental image is rather fitting – you’ve always been practically married to your work.” She mused, wiping a tear from her eyes. “Knowing you, it probably won’t take you any more than a week at worst to catch up on current scientific practices, and I’m sure Alphys will be more than willing to bring you into the scientific community, if you ever need help. Who knows, you might even end up reclaiming your lost title of royal scientist.”

“Perhaps, then it will be like the good old days, only with Alphys nagging me instead of your teasing.” Her friend agreed.

“This time, don’t erase yourself from existence, once was bad enough.”

“You act like I did it on purpose? I’ll remind you that I had no intentions of falling into the core that time.”

Edna chuckled. “The same can’t be said about your habits of blowing yourself up. And hush, we all know things tend to implode in your face more than they should.”

Gaster muttered something under his breath.

“I’m not wrong though.” She reminded. “One of these days it’s gonna bite you in the ass.”

“I’m pretty sure Hollow partially counts as that happening.” He retorted. “I was unconscious for over a day.”

Edna shot him a devilish grin. “We have some important matters to touch upon my friend.”

He raised an eye ridge. The expression she was making was coming dangerously close to shotting shivers down his spine. And knowing her, these ‘important matters’ was probably going to leave him mortified enough to wish he were back in the void. Oh joy.

“Soooooo,” She drawled out. “Am I going to need to get you and Grillby out on a date or can the two of you handle it on your own?”

The brish shade of violet and painted his cheekbones pulled a small chuckle from Edna’s lips. She would forever tease him over the rapid squeaking he made.

“E-e-e-Edna! What aspect of my love life constitutes as ‘important matters’?” He demanded, still blushing furiously.

“Gaster, I have no bloody intention of watching the two of you dance around your emotions a second time, it wouldn’t be funny a second time around.” Edna responded dead seriously.

He let out a loud groan of protest and hid his face in his hands. For as beautiful as their friendship was, Edna was constantly tormenting him with the fact his sense of romance was so back a tsundere rock smile could best him. And unfortunately because he didn’t have something of a similar nature to lord over her, she had a free pass.

“Speaking of Grillby,” Sans started, appearing from nowhere. “I just called him and let him know Dad’s back, he said He’ll be over after work.”

The junior skeleton then proceeded to duck out of the room with a grin on his face. His father’s look of internal screaming pulled a small ‘pht’ of muffled laughter from Edna as she patted him on the back.

“Looks like I’m not needed here after all.”

 

He wasn’t quite sure what to expect. How was one supposed to react when, after years of waiting for a friend who technically didn’t exist anymore and who practically no one else remembered, said friend’s son calls you out of the blue and casually tells you his father’s back. His relationship with Gaster might not have been friendship by the time he’d vanished, the sentimentality still stood.

His feelings for the scientist never changed, not even after he’d become one of the select few to remember him. It was practically the textbook definition of “absence makes the heart grow fonder”. Unfortunately, he had no way of knowing where Gaster stood, his emotions could have very easily shifted back to platonic while away.

He walked up to the former queen’s front door. Sans had said this was where they were at the moment, and he hadn’t received an update since then. He’d also said he’d make sure to let his father know he was coming. Well, now or never. He lightly pressed the doorbell, hearing the muffled chime from beyond the door, and waited. A few seconds later the door opened to reveal Hollow staring up at him. The boy lit up like a Giftmas- er, Christmas tree and proceeded to grab his hand to drag him inside.

“Mama’s finally home!” The boy exclaimed. “Now we can be a family again!”

The flames that made up his face turned a light teal blue. The way Hollow had worded that, it felt as though the boy had included him as family.

“Edna, please, enough of this.”

“Aww, lighten up Gaster, it’s just grillby after all.”

“I know that! But no one says the same, everyone changes in one way or another.”

“Yes, we all change, but that means you need to act like a blushing school girl trying to talk herself out of confessing-“

“Edna!”

He wasn’t quite sure if he should feel embarrassed, worried, or just stick with amusement. He knew how Edna was. And yes, those two were educated adults despite how they acted. Hollow vanished from his side when they reached the entrance to the living room.

The first thing he noticed was Gaster’s face; or rather, the parts of his face that were visible from behind his hands. He was clearly mortified, and his facial bones had been dyed and almost dark royal purple color. Edna wasn’t even trying to hide her amusement at this point, she was laughing quite heartily next to him. Admittedly he found it hard not to laugh himself, Gaster was adorable when flustered like that.

“And the elemental in question finally arrives,” Edna said. “Well I’ll be off then, don’t feel like being a third wheel as you two catch up.”

He watched the she-drake as she exited the room, giving them both a devilish smile as she winked at him.

“So, how much of that talk between friends did I miss?” He asked amused.

Gaster noted. “Talk between friend? More like evil teasing.”

The skeleton huffed and crossed his arms over his chest, with his purple coloring it made his scowled look more like a pout. It was honestly very adorable.

“It’s good to have you back home, I missed you.” He said.

“Yes, it’s nice to be back. There’s only so long a person can spend in the void while watching the outside world without going insane- wait, missed?” The skeleton looked at him in surprise. “But didn’t you forget about me?”

“I never forgot about you, not even for a moment.”

Something like relief mixed with joy flashed on the other’s face.

“I had only known that Sans remembered me, I had been so certain you didn’t… It seems I was wrong.”

He inched closer to the elder skeleton. There was still a level of uncertainty to the emotions the other had for him, but he was almost certain he knew what it was.

“It’s now or never.” He thought.

“Grillby I- I hope that, I, what I’m trying to say is I… I-“

“I love you.”


	44. Chapter 44

It was a bit hard to be around the elder skeleton, Undyn remembered the exchange of words between him and Decishur. It left an odd feeling in the air that was just too much, even for a fighter like her. She was as happy as the next person to see that the previous royal scientist was back in the flesh- er, bone. Still, apparently the skeleton had done something in the past that was now limiting the red mage’s power.

A part of her was blaming the strange feelings on the dance with death she’d just had, but that felt too much like denial. She didn’t not like Gaster, he was a kind monster with a really parental air about him, and he acted a lot like a toned down Papyrus. Either way, the ex-captain of the royal guard was certain of one thing; the skeleton had done something, something most other monsters could only dream of.

“And here I once thought gaining freedom would be the hardest thing to do.” She thought.

“I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, HAVE RETURNED!” Papyrus announced as he opened the door.

There was the pitter patter of small feet thumping against the floor, followed by Frisk running into the foyer to give the tall skeleton a leaping tackle-hug. Hollow materialized into the room soon after and latched on to his elder brother as well.

“Papy, Papy!” The little hybrid child exclaimed. “Mama’s home! We’re finally all back together!”

Papyrus was just about to proses what his little brother had just said when Sans walked into the room, drawing his attention.

“Sup bro,” The shorter skeleton said.

“HELLO BROTHER, HOW HAS YOUR DAY BEEN?” Papyrus asked.

“Eventful,” Sans replied, heading back into the living room.

Papyrus shrugged. Sans with his lazy days often labeled what was normally an average day as ‘eventful’, so that reply didn’t really qualify as an answer anymore. He scooped up the small, giggling children clinging to him and proceded into the living room as well.

“ALRIGHT THEN, HOW HAS THE DAY BEEN FRO THE TWO…”

Papyrus trailed off when he caught sight of an all too familiar face talking with Toriel about something. A skeleton, about as tall as him, dressed all in black, with large holes in his palms and cracks marring his face. Even if he’d only been a baby bones at the time, it was a face he remembered well.

“DAD…?”

The elder skeleton paused and turned to face him directly, a soft and warm smile on his face.

“Oh? Papyrus, is that you? I almost didn’t recognize you, you’ve grown so much.” The skeleton monster said.

Hollow escaped from his grasp and ran over to Sans. Frisk remained in his arms.

“Dad… I-is that really you?” Papyrus asked, too surprised to you his normal voice.

“Last time I checked, I was.” His father replied.

This earned him a groan from his middle son.

“FATHER, THAT WASN’T FUNNY, THAT WAS ALMOST AS BAD AS SANS’ JOKES.” Papyrus deadpanned.

Chara would have broken the atmosphere with their laughing, if Toriel and Asriel hadn’t tag teamed up to silence the child. Papyrus set Frisk down, said child scampered over to join their goat mom and the flower children off to the side, and walked up to his father. It wasn't a surprise when the second youngest skeleton wrapped his arms around his long-absent parent. Chara rolled their eyes, but there was the faintest semblance of a smile on their lips.

“Welp, it’s time we escalate this.” Sans said.

The shorter skeleton walked up and joined in the hug fest, even if he was the second smallest of the bunch. Hollow joined in on the hug as well, worming his way under one of Sans’ arms. At this moment Grillby walked back in. The fire monster rubbed a hand over the back of his neck, unsure of where he stood in the matter.

Gaster gave him a look.

“Anyone will agree we’re practically married, get over here and join in.”

The fire elemental complied and wrapped his arms around the two tallest members of the skeleton family, one arm over Papyrus’ shoulders as the other wound ‘round Gaster's waist. The family that was once torn and splintered was finally now complete.  
Undyn chose this moment to walk into the living room.

“Okay, what the heck is up? Did I miss a memo or something? When did it become sappy family time?”

 

“Asgore, something- no, a miracle has happened. You more than anyone deserves to see this.”

Toriel hadn’t elaborated further in her message, leaving the king of monsters in the dark on what this ‘micacle’ was all about. Darkness had begun to fall the moment he was able to leave the embassy. Now the sun had just about completely set, leaving Asgore to walk down silent streets alone as streetlight glowed yellow overhead. Humans and Monsters had come a long way in terms of coexistence, even if there was still a long way to go. The two races had finally constructed a fragile sort of peace. It was still very delicate and required the use of kids’ gloves in every aspect, but it was pace between monsters and humans none the less.

Were his brothers and father still alive to see this, they would be inspecting pigs for wings. What would his family say if they could see him now, as the king of monsters and the partner to their human child ambassador? Would his father be proud of all he’d accomplished? Would his brothers? At one point he’d fantasized and dreamed about a peace between monsters and humans that was much different from reality now. Back then he’d simply been the younger of the previous King’s children, with his eldest brother the one to inherit the crown and title. Who would have foreseen that he, the meekest and least experienced and most unlikely of the 4 princes would be the one to help lead monsters to this point? Even if he’d had help along the way.

 

So it was true, Asgore Dreemurr was indeed the king of monsters now. What a twist! It was a shame he didn’t get to see the face the young prince had made when hearing he was the only one left to inherit that legacy. When he, the smallest and weakest of Cerbious’ sons had been titled crowned prince of monsters! But this new development raised several questions, such as what fate had befallen the second youngest prince, Houcin? Asgore becoming king meant that the elder boss monster was dead, but how did the mighty prince fall? Unlike the elder two princes Dacier and Alazere, Houcin wasn’t a physical fight. No, his power lay in his immense magical skill and dexterity.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry I've been gone for a while, but I'm back now.


	45. Chapter 45

“Wing Ding Gaster, how fortunet that you are also out here.” King Cerbius said. “I request a chance to speak with you.” 

Gaster bowed slightly out of formality respect. He suspected what the king of monsters wanted to talk about, but kept that suspicion to himself. The king would tell him soon what he wished to speak with him about. 

“The events surrounding Dacier’s death are not normal, even in these trying times, and I suspect you have the answer to a question that has been heavy on my mind.” King Cerbius began. “You know the true reason why my son was killed, and what happened to his soul.” 

Gaster bowed his head in thought. While he had no proof, he was certain his speculations were indeed fact. The only problem; should he tell the king? He was debating this not because it was the king on monsters, but because it was his eldest son who was killed. Finally he came to a decision, raising his head he stared into the king’s eyes. 

“Dacier’s body might be dust, but the eldest prince is not truly dead. “Gaster stated. “The prince meet his untimely end at the hands of a human mage.” 

Cerbius closed his eyes and let out a breath. “So it is as I feared, his soul has been absorbed by a human correct?” 

Gaster nodded. This had been the reason he was hesitant to tell the king the truth, he could only imagine what the king’s emotional state was like. 

“So, it seems the vary thing humans feared we would do, they not do themselves.” Cerbius said. “Thank you, not just as your king, but as a father.”

 

When Asgore arrived, Frisk greeted him at the door with a bright smile. The child said nothing, just took his hands and lead him into the living room. Nothing in the world could have prepared him for the ‘miracle’ Toriel had mentioned. Sitting these on the couch, eyes looking at nothing, sat Chara. They looked no different then they had before they fell ill. A strange golden flower with a face was with them, or more accurately, the flower’s stem continued under Chara’s green and yellow sweater. Something about the flower seemed familiar, like de ja veu, but he couldn’t place it. 

“Chara…?”

They perked up at their name and looked towards him, then gave him a warm smile. Chara got off the couch wand walked towards him. 

“Hey, dad, long time no see.” They said. 

“Howdy dad!” The flower greeted. “Before you ask, it’s me, Asriel.” 

Asgore’s hands trembled with emotion. Not just Chara, but Ariel as well, his children ad returned. None of the three noticed when from stepped away to their mother’s side. Hollow peeked into the room, then ducked back out of sight. Asgore wrapped his arms around his children, tears forming in his eyes. 

“This truly is a miracle.” He murmured. 

Chara and Asriel, to the best of the flower’s ability, returned the hug. Off to the side, a content Toriel with a happy Frisk in her arms watched the scene with a smile. 

“Asgore is here already?” A familiar voice asked. 

Dr. Gaster Stood in the entrance to the living room, a hand resting on a wall. Asgore’s eyes lit up. 

“Gaster!” The king exclaimed. “I wasn’t made aware that you had returned as well.” 

The skeleton smiled sheepishly. 

“Well, I hadn’t been expecting to return.” He admitted. “Either way my good friend, you’re back.” The goat monster said. “Hollow must be ecstatic to have his father back.” 

“Ecstatic is one way to put it.” The scientist agreed. “It’s nice, see him finally being able to have an actual childhood.” 

That’s right, Hollow hadn’t been able to have much of a childhood because of Gaster’s situation. Perhaps now the hybrid could have a normal childhood at last. Or at least as normal of a childhood as his heritage would allow. Though, it likely wouldn’t be much; there was still a heavy tension between humans and monster, and heavy held prejudice on both sides, who knows how either side would react to this living link between species. 

“If anyone trys and upsets Hollow, I’ll fight them, even if their a long dead human mage with no soul.” Chara piped up. 

Both Asgore and Gaster have the long dead human child a look before bursting out into laughter. 

“I wouldn’t advise that, child, it’s best to avoid biting off more than you can chew.” 

Chara puffed up a cheek in a pouty face. Toriel snickered at her adopted child’s face, alongside Frisk who was border line laughing.

 

“So you’ll be returning to the front lines of science tomorrow, despite the fact you’ve just gotten back.” Grillby said. 

“It’s better to do it as soon as possible, don’t worry though, I don’t plan on getting taped in the void a second time.” Gaster said. “After all, there is always work to be done.” 

The fire elemental chuckled. 

“Ever the hard worker, even now, but that’s something I’ve always found charming about you.” Gaster blushed. 

This all still felt so surreal to him. Not just his freedom, but his bond with Grillby, even before all of this, back before his accident. And yet here he was, back with his family. 

“Grillby, thank you for remembering me.” Gaster said. 

The fire elemental said nothing. Instead, he nuzzled the skeleton’s cheek. This drew a small eep from the other, but Gaster didn’t pull away. 

“Sup Dad, sup soon-to-be-other-dad.” Sans said. 

The two broke apart as if someone had just shot at them, Gaster jumping up like a startled cat, Grillby whirling around to glare at the short statures skeleton. “What?” Said skeleton asked as though he hadn’t frightened the two. Gaster sighed. For ‘some’ reason he wasn’t at all surprised over his eldest’s shenanigans, and wasn’t sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing. 

“Sans, what the actual fuck.” 

“Heh, what, don’t like my sans of humor?” 

“SANS!”


	46. Chapter 46

Some thing never change. Gaster was pleasantly surprised to find this true. Sans was still as much of a morning person as a blanket was a rock. Papyrus operated on this ‘I’m awake and so I must be a bundle of energy’ scheduled. Wasn’t quite sure where the tallest brother got it from, but at least one member of this family could operate somewhat properly during the early hours of the day. Hollow was somewhere in between his brother in terms of morning energy; he wasn’t falling asleep ever second like sans, but neither was he jumping all around like Papyrus. A lot like himself. Gaster would not have minded getting more sleep, but he would be able to function properly without the extra rest. 

“Is it safe to trust Papyrus with making breakfast? Or-“ 

“Dad, please make breakfast for use.” Sans said, fully awake, before dozing back off. 

Gaster shook his head, but smiled all the same. That answered one question though, it might be a good idea to ask Edna to show his son the basics. 

“SANS!” Papyrus protested. “OUR FATHER JUST GOT BACK, WE SHOULD NOT BE IMPOSING ON HIM SO SOON!” 

He’d call Edna around noon.

 

As much as she loved her daughter’s girlfriend and was happy to have finally met the lovely fish, that incident with the oven when they’d first met made one thing blaringly clear. She was not to be trusted when making food. It was a good thing she wasn’t a morning person, otherwise something might have caught fire. Edna wasn’t planing on making anything complex, just a simple omelet, basically something quick and simple to make. 

“I need to teach one of them how to cook, even knowing how to scramble eggs would suffice.” She thought. 

Undyn, with Alphys in arm, stumbled into the kitchen. It somewhat reminded her of one of those zombies from that one popular video game the students had been going on about when it’d first came out(Eve of decay or something like that). 

“Give me a little longer and breakfast will be ready.” Edna said, not even bothering to face them. 

Undyn responded with what sounded like a grunt, then wandered over to the table. Now was one of those times she wished she had a camera, moments like these were always the best memories to keep and look back on.

 

Something never change, and in this case it was a good thing. Chara had fond memories, back before they decided eating buttercups would be a good idea, of sitting with their adopted family at the table eating their ‘breakfast’ pie as their mother dubbed it. Even after all these years, and all the hardships endured, Toriel still made her breakfast pies and mouth watering as she had before.And just like before the accident, Asriel faceplopped into his food and ate it that way. Frisk giggled at how the goat-turned-flower monster ate, even Toriel chuckled a little. This was nice. If Asgore were there, it would have truly felt like it had back them, even with Frisk in the picture-especially with Frisk in the picture. But the bond between the King of monster and his ex wife would never be what it once was(no thanks to their stupid plan). But at least the two were close friends, and whatever resentment or regrets the two had with each other had been worked out months ago. 

“I wonder, would we have still had these mornings if I hadn’t died?” They wondered. 

Shaking their head, the first fallen child brushed off the thought. It didn’t matter now, the past was in the past and now was the present. Mulling over old mistakes wouldn’t help anyone.

 

Asgore stared at the picture with as blank an expression as was possible, but sorrow and horror still leaked into his expression none the less. 

“I understand how hard this must be, but as you can see, the situation has changed.” The detective said, returning the picture to the folder in front of him. “Thankfully, as much as I hate to admit it, his body count has remained at one.” 

“But that is subject to change, he will strike again, this is why you’ve come to talk.” Asgore said with a sigh. “Unfortunately I am not quite the best person to acquire information about the mage from, my friend Dr. W.D. Gaster knows more.” 

The detective nodded. “Thank you for your cooperation, King Asgore, and while I don’t feel the dire need to say this, please keep the ambassador safe, I have no desire to see the relations between our species crumble because of bigoted and biased views.” 

Asgore nodded and watched as the detective got up and left. The picture he’d showing him, though, was still imprinted on his mind. Unless there was another deranged human with a sword and magic, or heck, even a monster of the same description, it had to be Decishur. While he’d never seen the man’s sword in person, the gaping wound on the woman’s abdomen matched the cuts made by others like it. The shallow bullet makers on her limbs could only have been made by magic projectiles wheilded by a person trained in combat magic meant for war.

 

The woman was a screamer. That much he’d gathered when she wouldn’t shut up after he removed his blade from her stomach. Like those damn traitors, she was a monster sympathizer, and even worked with several of them on a near daily basis. She’d cried out when the volley of red bullets collided with her arms and legs, pretty drops of dead falling to the ground. He’d debated about weather to finish her off, or to just let her bleed out. In the end the later had one out, and so he waited, and was glad he did so. She squirmed around on the ground like a maggot, a large, fleshy, screaming maggot. She clawed at the ground as she dragged herself forward in vain attempts to move around, but in the end she succumbed to her wounds and he watched at the white-washed green heart that was her soul shattered.


	47. Chapter 47

“Q-q-quit the list o-of credentials you have, n-no wonder y-you were the royal scientist at one p-point.” Alphys said in amazement. “Physics, chemistry, biology, even engineering!” 

Edna snorted in amusement. “All you need now is a Ph.d in blowing yourself up.” The elder drake joked. 

Gaster rolled his eye lights and gave her a playful shove. 

“Yes, yes, though I’ll remind you I was not the most accident prone scientist there, and need I mention those little ‘firework’ that happened as a reaction that one time?” 

“…Well played my friend, well played.” 

“A-add the fact you b-built the c-c-core and it’ll b-be hard for them to turn you d-down.” Alphys added. 

Oh that’s right, when humans learned about the core and it’s ability to turn geothermal energy into clean electricity, scientist had been practically jumping for joy. That is until they learned that even though the team who’d built that diddly darn thing were still around, the blue prints were gone. Now that he was back, it would be simple for him to draft up a new blue prints, maybe even update the design(the cooling system was in dire need of tweaking), and this time there would be access to more than scrap metal and trash. 

“W-well I s-sent an E-mail earlier, w-w-while it didn’t explain everything, t-they are prepared to consider adding you to the staff.” The younger monster informed him. 

“Thank you, you have been a big help.” The skeleton replied. 

Alphysa blushed and smiled. 

“W-w-w-well, we’d better be going now, I k-know you can teleport, but I-I advise waiting until you’ve g-got the job.” She advised. 

“Alright, let me go grab my coat and then we can head out.” Gaster said.

 

There was a sense of irony to it. Both were Doctorate level scientist with several degrees that translated to Ph.d’s, and both had great accomplishments attached to their names. And yet here the pair were in Papyrus’s car. They were basically geniuses, and yet neither Gaster nor Alphys have a driver’s license. At least Gaster had a very good reason for that, he’d been back for such a short period of time that there hadn’t been a chance to do so. Then again, he was unlikely to actually dive a car, it was easier to teleport to places after all. Alphys simply didn’t desire to learn how to drive, Undyn had a license and could driver her some place if needed, and then buses existed for a reason, so she never saw the need to acquire one. 

Eventually the lab came into view, a large off white building with large windows on the bottom floor and smaller windows on the top, but none in between. The parking lot was a mix of half full and empty that was leaning towards empty, probably all belonging to the security guards and cleaning crew. It was possible that other people, maybe even other scientist were they, but it wasn’t even 6 in the morning, work hours were from 8 to normally 4, generally people didn’t come in early unless there was an emergency. Papyrus stopped by the front entrance and waved as the two got out. 

“CALL ME IF YOU NEED A RIDE HOME!” He called. 

Papyrus pulled out of the parking lot and drove off, leaving the two alone in the early morning hours. Thankfully the doors weren’t locked, and Alphys had her badge so they didn’t have to wait in a lobby or some other waiting room.

 

“I feel like the biggest can of worms imaginable has just been opened.” Irina said, slumping into her chair. “Evil murderous mages from heck if I know how long ago was not in my job description." 

“Nor was it in mine.” Asgore agreed. “But this wasn’t exactly a foreseeable problem.” 

“Amen to that.” Irina muttered. 

It had started with Decishur targeting Frisk to start another war, followed and coupled with his desire to use Hollow to hurt Gaster, but now, with this newest development, it was impossible to tell what his plan had become. 

“Hey Asgore, were their human and monster couples before the war?” Irina asked. 

Asgore raised an eyebrow, but nodded. “Yes, and those couples would even produce offspring, children that were part human and part monster, but with a boss monster’s soul.” He explained. 

“Hu, interest, just monster souls? Or did some of these children have human souls instead?” The diplomat inquired. 

Asgore debated for a moment about Hollow, but his situation was different, and he had been, er, ‘conceived’ long after the war. 

“No, at least no one believed so, but these hybrid children were despised by both sides just the same, so there might have been and it was never made public.” Asgore replied. “Human/monster couples tended to live outside of society, because of the negative views from both sides.” 

“I just though of something.” Irina started. “What if this crazy killer is a descendant of one of those hybrid children, possibly one with a human soul!” 

Asgore shook his head. “Impossible, there were none left alive when the war began, human made certain of this.” 

Irina’s face turned sheet white, eyes wide with disbelief. 

“What?” She exclaimed. “But w-wh- hu?” 

“Before the war began, human followed through with the genocide of these human/monster hybid children, news of this came from grieving parents and lovers, children ranging from adults to new borns were slaughtered.” Asgore explained sadly. “Even as the war began and raged, any remain children were killed.” 

Irina once more slumped back into her chair. 

“And now, once more, the living links between humans and monsters are threatened, again by the cold prejudiced of the past." He thought.

Thankfully, this time his kind would not stand by and watch, Gaster and his sons cared about their youngest family member, and even if the child wasn’t his own kin, he would not repeat his father’s actions. 

“Maybe one day human and monster couples will pop up once more, and this time their hybrid children won’t be slaughtered out of prejudice.” Irina said. 

“Maybe one day.” Asgore agreed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There is a level of personal irony on my end, I'm old enough to get my learner's permit, but I haven't yet


	48. Chapter 48

“It is a pleasure to finally meet you Dr.Gaster, meeting the monster who created the core is quite the honor.” Mr.Eldrick said. “And even more so that said monster is seeking to work here in my lab building.” 

Mr. Conner Eldrick was the CEO of TechReach, an organization/company that employed scientist to do research and experiments to help advance technology in a positive direction. So far Gaster liked what he was seeing; a cheery man who, while not being a scientist himself, wanted to use science to help others. And judging by how many monster he had on his staff, the man wasn’t biased towards monsters. 

“Oh please, the core isn’t that much of an innovation, take the cooling system, is has more problems than a high schooler geometry test alone.” Gaster said. 

Mr.Aldrick chuckled. “True, the cooling system does need work, but that doesn’t make it any less of a wondrous invention. I’m sure you already have plans to work out any flaws present.” 

Gaster nodded. “Yes, that is one of my top priorities, a set of working core blueprints would greatly benefit both out races.” 

“And Alphys did have me talk with her mother, a former co-worker of yours. She had quite a bit to say about you, most of it good, though I do hope she was exaggerating about your misadventures with explosions.” Mr.Eldrick said. 

Gaster flushed. Of course Edna probably exaggerated his history with mishaps, after all, most of them had been minor this that at worst elected a groan of exasperation. He could count the number of times he’d blown himself or something else up on one hand. But that didn’t make it any less embarrassing to learn your possible employer was well acquainted with your history of mishaps. 

“Yes, well,” He made a thoughtful noise. “I very rarely have something explode, small fires or lost of smoke yes, but even then I am very careful to keep damage and injury to minimum, nonexistent if possible.” 

Mr.Eldrick smiled, seemingly pleased with his response, and nodded. 

“Alright then, between your credentials and your accomplishments, I am pleased to inform you that you’ve got the job, I’ll Call Dr.Alphys so she can help you with the paperwork.” he said.

 

“Hey kids, snack’s ready!” Sans called from the kitchen.

”’kay!” Came the unanimous call. 

A few seconds later, the three came running into the kitchen to claim their cinnamon pie. Chara looked a little disappointed when they saw it wasn’t chocolate, but made off with the slice anyway, and Asriels as well because the prince turned flower was still clinging to them. 

“Thank you.” Hollow said before picking up his own slice and heading back into the living room.

Sans followed in suit, yawning into a hand as he entered into the living room. 

“This just in, another boy had been found…” 

“Another one, just great.” He thought sarcastically. 

“The body has been identified as Laurain Gardems, leader of a labor union seeking to bring monsters into their ranks.” 

The news lady then proceeded to go into detail about the murder as though this was something unrelated to the other murders. Hollow stared at the screen with confusion, like he knew something but was unsure it to speak or not. 

“What he’s doing makes no sense, is he trying to turn humanity against monsters, or is he trying to divide humanity into pro-monsters and anti-monsters and get the two sides fighting?” Chara said. 

Hollow shook his head as if disagreeing with Chara, but it was hard to tell when he didn’t even know what the kid was thinking. 

“Hey Hollow, penny for your thought?” Sans asked. 

Hollow looked at him with surprise, as if he thought he’d hadn’t actually noticed. 

“I don’t think Decishur is doing this randomly.” He murmured. “He might be impulsive and impatient, but he is neither an idiot nor random, at least not this brand of random. There is a method to this, I know there is, but I just can’t see it yet, and because I can't I have a feeling it isn’t good.” 

Sans patted his brother’s head. “Yeah, well he’s bound to act sooner rather than later, so all we need to be is ready for when he does act.”

 

It was strange, ethereal even, how so much had changed, and yet everything had stayed the same. There were still people on the street, cold and alone, breaking their backs for every meal. But it wasn’t really all that unexpected, humans were creatures of habit. And sending their own to suffer in the slums was a habit after all. Maybe nothing actually changed after all. 

“What does it matter anyway? Whether things have changed or not, it doesn’t actually matter.” 

Eventually the white building came into view, large than the houses and stores, but smaller than the rest. It wasn’t time yet, there were still things to do. Waiting was the hard part, the boring part that made it hard to hold back until a better moment. But humility born from broken pride was an unforgettable lesson, especially when it came from war. Scouting out the location was the plan, and this time they plan would be followed. Besides, it was almost time, just a few more souls, and it would be unwise to have all that hard work put to waste. 

 

Decishur watched his foe through narrow eyes. The skeleton was not to be taken lightly, the pain in his chest and pride wouldn’t let him forget. This time he would be ready, he’d seen most of, if not all of, the monster’s tricks. Though he still didn’t understand how the secondary effect of the skeleton’s attack, the poison like effect that air up his hp over time, worked. It didn’t matter, that just meant he’d have to be careful and avoid getting hit so many times.This time the terrain wasn’t a muddy nightmare, so the blue soul trick would not have the same effect. 

“You’ve humiliated me once, a second time is not given to your kind, let alone an individual.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Literally the only one who knows what Decishur is planning on doing is me, or possibly Gaster is the writer doesn't count.


	49. Chapter 49

The sound of metal against metal, the the ringing of steel bells, as sword clashed with sword. Decishur grinned as his foe’s weapon buckled beneath his, leaving the turtle monster back first in the earth and at his mercy. Soon enough dust coated the ground where the monster once was. 

“Monster’s are weak, hardly even a challenge at this point. Anyone who says otherwise is just weak.” He mused. 

It didn’t take much to realize how strong the red mage was, you could practically feel the exp ooze off of his soul, and a blood lust without end. Brushing off a bit of dust from one shoulder, he reentered the frey of battle. He’d see to it that this battle was won. Decishur paused, eyes falling one a particular battle between a human and monster. The monster was down, face in the dirt and weapon off to the side and out of reach. The odd thing was, the human didn't raise their weapon to deliver the killing strike. 

“What are you doing?!” Decishur demanded. 

Both soldiers snapped their gazes over to him, the monster going pale as the human crinkled their brow. “I’m taking this monster prisoner, sir.” They said. Before they could utter another word, Decishur’s blade was pressed to their throat, a thin line of blood gracing the blade red. 

“We don’t take prisoners you idiot, we kill these damned thing not spare them.” He spat. 

“B-but sir! This monster could have valuable information that would help us-“ 

The protests that fell on deaf ears was cut short as Decishur’s blade sliced open the human’s throat. 

“Disgusting monster sympathizer.” He sneered. 

The monster stared in horror at the brutality he had shown to one of his own kind. The last thing that monster saw was a set of freezing crimson eyes boring into theirs before the mage’s blade found their heart. Dust and armor was all that remained. 

“Decishur! What the hell?!” A certain someone demanded. 

Decushur layed eyes on a bristling Aruin, tome griped tightly in one hand. 

“Have you lost it? You just slaughtered one of our own men!” Aruin growled. 

“He was a monster lover- a traitor that needed to be cut down.” Decishur said. 

Aruin snorted, the purple mage didn’t seem to share the same sentiment as he did. The bastard was a monster lover himself, even stood by a friendship he had with one of those vile atrocities. 

“Of course you don’t get it, you are a monster lover after all.” Decisure commented. “It’s unfortunate that the council has ordered me not to harm you ore your traitorous friends, scum like you don’t deserve to live.” 

His half attempt at goading the mage into a fight fell short, all Aruin did was glare at him and keep quiet. Shrugging the red mage took his leave, his purple counterpart just watched, eyes trying to glare a hole into his back.

 

Modern humans were pathetic. Not only did they manage to forget about magic, something that should have been impossible, but many still scoff at it’s existence. Humans had one been a powerful race, commanding the strongest of magic and had crushed monster to near extinction. Oh how the mighty have fallen. But there was one thing he had to give them, their weapons were impeccable, having both range and power. These guns as they were called were far superior to bows and swords, and required much less individualized training. Their bombs were on par with anything magic could do. If this had been the trade off, magic for better weapons, maybe he could forgive humanity. But somehow he doubted this had been the trade off. 

“Oh well, I’ll just reteach humanity the vital skill they’ve lost, and maybe this time they won’t forget about magic.” 

He’d have to be careful, he didn’t need a repeat of what happened at the end of the war centuries ago. This time he’d have to make sure that when he cast the spell to end monsters, no traitorous trash interfered. 

 

Decishur felt disappointed. These humans barely put up any fight, especially the fairer sex. The woman before him was shrieking like a chicken, all high and shrill. It wouldn’t have been that bad if she had put up a fight, or had even made chase. But no, all she did was scream and and pleaded for her life. At least she shut up when he cut open her cheek, her whimpering was much less grating on the ear and mind.

“With this soul I’ll fave four, that will be enough.” He mused with a smile. 

Fast as lightning he cut open her throat, releasing the bright crimson in her veins. As soon as the soul rose out of the corms, ashy and faded like the rest of the souls he’d collected, he cast the spell that would allow him to absorb it. Now he was ready, he had all the souls he needed and he knew the perfect place to strike. But he would be patient a bit longer, his plans were still a mystery. The seal on his powers might prove a tricky handicap to get around, even with the 4 souls. It was am impressive feet of magic, sealing away power without directly using the soul, not even Decishur had found a way to do this. As a soulless being, most attempts at sealing his power were doomed to fail because of that fact. It was the same reason blue magic had no affect on him; neither water nor air could be properly grasped, and they certainly couldn't support stone naturally. And that is how the seal on him was so marvelous, the skeleton had changed it from stone to unmelting ice. Of course the moment the seal’s maker died, it would fall apart, and even if another knew how to seal his powers, it would not be easy for them. 

“You are just full of surprises, first you knew the true extent of what I had done to him, and then you find a way to seal away those powers I gained from it, what’s next? You are capable of using blue magic on me?” He wondered.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> it is hard to write and skype chat at the same time. :p Also RPing.


	50. Chapter 50

It was a nostalgic feeling, being back in a lab. Though he was no longer the royal scientist, Gaster still felt most comfortable in a lab. It was his home territory after all. Gaster had been able to redesign the core much faster than expected, changing the cooling system had been much easier than he’d anticipated. It was probably because he had accesses to better coolants than large blocks of ice. After the hard part had been done, drawing out a blueprint had been quick and simple. Mr. Eldrick had been ecstatic to receive his work in such record time. 

After that, he decided to return to his research on soul composition. Hollow’s creation had been an accident, he hadn't learned anything from the experiment other than it was possible to artificially create a soul. When he knew about souls was about the same as back before the accident; very little. Now he didn’t have the stress of freeing an entire race from imprisonment, and deciphering the mystery about souls wasn’t imperative, it was still none the less a mystery that could yeald great benefits if pursued. Questions such as what is a soul actually made of, and what made human souls different from monster souls might finally be answered. Monster myths say a soul is composed of dust, magic, and kindness, but is that actually true? If so, then why can humans seemingly exist without that third element; kindness? 

After a while, Gaster decided to take a break and wander about some of the empty lab rooms. Even if it wasn’t the same facility as the one back down in the underground, it was still akin to a walk down memory lane. Familiar flooring, familiar set up, familiar equipment. 

“There are always those little things that never really change.” He thought. 

 

The glass windows erupted inward as though a bomb had gone off from the outside, dust and smoke floating in as glass dappled the floor. Said glass crunched under Decishur’s boots as he stepped inside, crimson eyes scanning the room through the clouds of smoke. His target was not on the ground floor, but up on a higher one. Shrugging, he snapped his fingers and sent a wave of crimson bullets to blast an opening into the ceiling. The noise he made doing so certainly caught people’s attention. When he climbed up through the hole everyone, both monster and human proceeded to scatter like insects. The mage couldn’t help but grin. 

Right now he had specific prey to hunt, but afterwards he might have time to fight the monsters and their traitorous human companions. With that thought in mind he proceeded to blast through the ceiling once again. Before he had a chance to climb higher, something small rushed past his face, inches from his flesh. Humans emerged from the hallways, dressed in odd black armor and armed with guns. Their faces hidden behind helmets of plastic and glass. Grinning, Decishur withdrew his sword from it’s place sheathed at his hip and pointed it towards the neared human. The moment the human squeezed the trigger, he rushed forward. The bullet seeded past his arm as his blade found flesh, burring itself in the person’s neck. The remaining humans proceeded to shoot at him, seemingly unfazed by the loss of one of their own. 

“Trained fighters, lovely!” He thought with twisted glee. 

Yanking his blade from the dead man’s neck, he turned his gaze towards the closest person on the left. Running to close the short distance, the human soon found himself face to face with the soulless as the arc of his sword cut them from shoulder to opposite hip, painting the walls and floor red. Decishur spun around, blade extended, slicing in two one of the fighters that attempted to tackle him down. Three were dead, two remained. Both of the remaining fighters stood with their weapons posed, ready for an attack. Neither was prepared when the floor erupted with glittering spikes of white magic. Bullets graced his presence the moment he jumped up to the next floor. Quick thinking and even quicker reflexes were what kept him from earning a few holes, he managed to erect a shield of red magic before any harm could befall him. 

“Persistent little bugs aren’t we.” Decishur said. “That just makes this all the more fun.” 

The red mage’s grin was already ear to ear, but somehow it seemed to become even wider.

 

Gaster had felt something change in the atmosphere, an extreme calmness in the air that only happened when something bad was to happen soon. And then came the flooding rush of strong human magic and blood lust. 

“Oh shi-“ 

The floor erupted into smoke, dust, and red light as magic bust through the floor from below. Decishur emerged from the smoke, mouth set in an impossibly wide grin, eyes practically glowing scarlet. 

“Found you.” The mage said darkly. 

Decishur rushed at him, blade positioned to run him through. Bones erupted from the floor, forcing him to jump, only for a blaster to appear in front of him. He was sent crashing into a wall, said wall buckling under the impact. Decishur pried himself from the wall’s remains and rushed at the skeleton again, a recovery that was unnaturally fast. Gaster took note of this as he sent a wave of white magic bullets Decishur’s way. A shield of gold and purple appeared to deflect the bullets. The shield dropped so that a beam of orange and red magic could be sent his way. Gaster rolled out of the way, a pair of blasters manifesting on either side of him. 

“Decishur is using far to much power.” Gaster thought. “But I know the seal is still in place, so how?” 

The blasters opened their maws and let lose beams of white. Decishur sidestepped them with ease. A volley of read bullets was sent towards him. Gaster ducked, but the containers behind were smashed, dousing him in various chemicals. Finally, it hit him, the reason why Decishur was now this powerful. 

“Dear Asgore, it can’t be!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The fan has just been hit with a multitude of things, not all of them poop.


	51. Chapter 51

Four souls, like glowing fireflies, were trapped in small cages made out of a strange shadow looking substance. Purple, green, orange, and yellow. These souls were faded, pastel colored things, but Gaster knew the symbolism all the same. 

“I suppose I should have figured it out much sooner, the reason behind the recent string of murders.” The skeletal monster said. “Four human souls, all from humans who peaceful of sympathetic towards monsters, and now you have enough power to make up for a portion of what you lost-of what I took from you.” 

“Correct, and it may be only a part of it, but with these souls I should have enough power to dust you.” Decishur responded more than a little too calmly.

The mage dropped down to a per-sprinting stance and then took off towards him. Gaster hissed and defended with a wall of bones. The white magic attacks were cut down like twine with a sweep of Decishur’s blade. The air crackled with magic as the red mage shifted gears from ‘play’ to full on hunt and kill. A flurry of bullets practically decimating the wall behind, chunks of plaster and concrete walling onto the counter with dull thunks. Crafting a staff of magic, something he hadn’t done in a long time, the close quarter combat Decishur insisted on doing was much easier not that he had something much more suited to paring the sword. Miniature scale explosions of magic filled the air with dust and smoke. For Gaster it wasn’t a problem, he didn’t exactly have lungs to worry about. Decishur showed no signs of being affected by the change in air quality, he continued hacking away at his prey unrelentingly. 

The ashen green should began glowing, and suddenly Gaster couldn’t move as the sword passed through him harmlessly. The next arc wasn’t so forgiving, pain shot up the scientist left arm as the blade wedged itself between two of the bones. The devil before him took glee in the next part, yanking the sword free from it’s place wedged between bone, thankfully not slicing the limb off in the process. Still rooted to the spot, he knew what came next the moment the mage jumped back. Gaster yanked up the shield just in time to meet the first volley of magic arrows. Praying for the shield to hold until the end, he let out a held breath when the bullets stopped and he was no long trapped in place. Said relief was short lived when Decishur to that moment to rush at him, aiming for the wounded arm.

 

When the alarm had gone off, Alphys had panicked. She wasn’t the only one, especially after the sounds of something blasting through the floor came from out in the hallway. Other scientists rushed past the door in blind panic, either screaming bloody murder or crying for mercy. A superior of hers ran to the doorway. 

“Holy shirt!” The man cursed before pulling back and tackling the door shut. 

“Sir, what’s going on out there?” One of the other scientists asked, slightly hesitant. 

The man, still pale and shaking, looked at her with wide eyes. 

“I just saw a human do what I’m pretty sure was magic and then slaughtered several security guards, that’s what’s going on out there.” He said. 

Alphys blanched. 

“A-a hu-human using magic? You-your sure?” She asked. 

He nodded. “You know the guy?” He inquired.” 

“No, n-not personally.” She answered. “B-but I d-d-do know that is the g0guy who’s tried to k-k-kill Frisk, th-the monster ambassador.”

 

“What! Some bastard is bombing the TechReach lab building?!” Undyns demanded. 

Her superior, officer Abersteel, gave her a sympathetic look and nodded. “Yeah, with magic too, if the reports are correct.” He answered. 

Undyn growled. “When I get my hands on the guy I'll-“ 

"Officer Undyn! Please calm down!” Abersteel commanded. “I know you’re worried about your little lady, but acting with anything less than a cool head will be dangerous.” 

The fish monster gritted her teeth and sat back down. Abersteel relaxed a bit and sighed. 

“TechReach as a formidable security force, there is no way they haven’t responded to the danger yet, I’m positive your girlfriend is fine, so please keep calm and let’s go.” 

Undyn nodded. She got up and the two ran towards one of the remaining cars, the other officers already mobilized in the time it took to Abersteel to get the fish monster under control of her temper.

 

Sans stared at the TV with disbelief. 

“A full on attack of the TechReach lab building? Or is her just there because Dad is?” Sans pondered. 

“Sans’s where are you ya’h lazy bones? We need some help with something science related!” Chara called. 

Storming in, the undead human didn’t notice what was on the TV or the grimace on the short skeleton’s face. 

“There you are! Sans we need-…” Chara stopped talking when they noticed what was on TV. 

“Oh Shit, not good, right?” 

“You can say that again.”

 

“Running isn’t going to save you, and don’t bother stalling, there isn’t anyone who can help you now.” Decishur said.

Gaster didn’t bother wasting breath on a reply. Bullets zipped past him, either just barely out of range to graze him, or completely off mark. 

“Just give up, you’ll tire eventually, even the strongest of souls need rest.” 

“That also applies to you too.” Gaster thought. 

He halfheartedly considered weather to actually say that or not, but in the end the bullets nearly hitting him in the ribs decided for him. As the game of fox and rabbit dragged on, Gaster could feel the magic in the air thicken, along side something pushing against the seal on Decishur’s power. The seal would hold, but it didn’t feel like that was the point, something was falling into place, and obviously Decishur hadn’t noticed. The man was oblivious to everything outside his blood lust. 

“Hmm, could it be? If so, Asgore, please don’t get involved, please no one get involved.”


	52. Chapter 52

The force of a blast of fire sent him crashing down forward. Gaster could hear the thumping of Decishur’s boot as he closed the distance gap between them. A boot fell hard on his lower spine, drawing a hiss of pain. A hand who’s finger’s ended with small claws grabbed him by the crown of his skull and dragged his head back, the mage’s sword sliding under to press lightly against his neck. 

“As much as I did enjoy our little game of cat and mouse, it’s time for me to end you.” Decishur said amused. 

Before he could follow through, the mage was forced off of him. 

“Sorry we’re late, manifesting outside was harder than expected.” A comfortingly familiar voice said. 

“But you still arrived to my rescue none the less.” Gaster said lightly. “And not a moment too late I’ll add.” 

Aruin said nothing, just shook his head as he helped his friend up. 

“Heh, it’s been a long time sense the five of use have gotten a chance to fight all together like this.” Naui commented. 

“Yes, but I don’t think any of us foresaw fighting an opponent quite like the create sprawled out in front of us.” Kaimeer pointed out. 

“Is it really that surprising? Humans were so scared of a monster taking a human soul that no one cared to think about the alternative.” Hydel reminded. 

“Oh ha ha ha, feeling safe now that your little band of traitors are with you again? Well not for long!” Decishur spat as he got up. 

The mage before them looked less like a human, long horns curled around his skull starting just above the forehead. His eyes were no longer red and white, but a blackish grey and red, glowing like crimson fire. His canines were longer, protruding straigh down from his gums as fangs. “I’ll make sure to end you all!” Sword in hand, he charged at them with a volley of fire and bullets prepared behind him. 

“Stubborn like a bull with the strength of several dragons.” Aruin muttered. 

Flipping open his spell book, the purple mage cast an enchantment on Naui. The orange mage grinned and charged at their foe, his fist meeting the blade of Decishur’s sword. Decishur snarled and let lose his volley of projectiles. With a mix of quick reflexes and a shield from Kaimeer, Naui emerged unscathed, striking the fire of the red mage’s temper even furthur. Smirking, Hydel let lose one of his golden arrows and all watched as Decishur slashed it in two, causing it to explode. The force sent Decishur into the wall, said wall cracking under the force of catching him. Screaming, the four souls he’d acquired glowed as he cast a new spell. 

“Ah shit!” Naui cursed before running back to the group, Aruin and Kaimeer throwing up a barrier. 

Soon the world erupted into magic and multi colored light anything that wasn’t inside the barrier turned to ruble under the raw power of the explosive spell.

 

Asgore arrived just in time to see the ball of magic emerge from the building. A high level destruction spell normally used by human mages, and even them only a few ever had used it. The spell cost a lot of magic to use. Spilling out was the feeling of concentrated magic, and a soul he hadn’t felt sense that say. Taken over by shock, Asgore stared at where the sphere of magic had one been, eyes blown wide. 

“Daicer.” 

The king of monster thought. “But… your dead, so them how?” He didn’t know how to feel. He was certain that he felt his Eldest brother up there. It was faint but he recognized it none the feeling none the less.Let out a breath, Asgore gripped his trident tightly.

 

The magical presence in the air was similar to the one Chara and Asriel had back when they had become one. This feeling wasn’t as powerful, and oozed more hate and malice then they had, but it was still similar. 

“This feels familiar, and not in a good way.” Chara said. 

“Yeah, it feels like how we did after I absorbed your soul, just with more hate mixed in.” Asriel agreed. 

Sans kept quite, but the more he mulled over the presence, the more axious it made him feel. Something bad was up their, vile and evil feeling. 

“Dad?!” Asriel cried. 

The three of them watched as the king of Monster jumped, with the use of magic, up to the gaping hole up near the top of the building.

 

Decishur looked very unpleased to the the five had survived the spell. His nose and mouth were wrinkled into a snarl as he glared at them. Kaimeer and Aruin collapsed, semi transparent and somewhat faded. 

“We don’t have enough energy to do that a second time.” Aruin said. 

Naui nodded and prepared to charge at the red mage again. At the same time, Hydel summoned more arrows and drew back the string of his bow. Naui charged, magic flaring as closed in. Once again his fist collided with the edge of Decishur’s weapon, leaving him in a position where he couldn’t really avoid Hydel’s arrows. The yellow mage let said arrows lose, watching as they found their mark in the flesh of his shoulder arnd left arm. The red mage hissed and pulled back, letting lose and arc of red magic. The arc dissipated when Naui’s fist collided head on with it, but did manage to break some of the flesh beneath the glove. The orange mage drew his hand back with a yelp, blood staining the leather crimson. Decishur yanked the arrows of magic out from his body and rushed at Naui, this time he weaved around to ensure that Hydel wouldn’t have such an easy shot. 

Gaster watched in surprise as Asgore emerged from the missing wall. He hadn’t expected the king of monster to come, nor had he wanted him to. Asgore’s expression changed to horror when he layed eyes on Decishur.


	53. Chapter 53

Asgore had steeled himself for the worst; Gaster either dead or wounded with Decishur standing over him in full maddened glory. What he hadn’t expected, nor could ever hope to prepare himself for, was the scene that lay out before him. Specifically the form that Decishur had. The mage looked very little like a human, instead he looked more like Asriel had after he’d absorbed Chara’s soul. Pale ivory horns emerged from his skull like branches sticking out of water, said horns curved somewhat near the tip, much like his own horns did. Pointed claws took the place of human fingernails, and his teeth were different, kaynines elongated into fangs. The mage’s eyes were now black with red irises. Said irises glowing bright and cold. The underside of his hair was now a snowy white, the same as the king’s fur, a small tail peeked out from beneath the mage’s shirt, the same snowy white color in it’s fur. Decishur’s attention shifted from Gaster and his friends onto Asgore, his snarl changing into a twisted grin as he became aware of the king of monster’s presence. Everything clicked into place; Decishur’s power, Daicer’s sudden death, Gaster reaction the eldest prince’s death. 

“You absorbed Daicer’s soul.” The worst slipped from Asgore mouth as a quiet whisper. 

The red mage gave him a mocking expression, a slight chuckle elicited from his lips. 

“Who’d have thought the youngest Dreemurr prince, little Asgore, would rise and become the king of monsters? I certainly hadn’t seen that.” Decishur said. “And yes, I did absorb your brother's soul, why else did I need just six other mages?” 

The four humans at Gaster’s side seemed just as horrified as Asgore was. Gaster wasn’t horrified, but the skeleton’s expression showed he was far from pleased with the vile thing Decishur had become. Before anyone could say anything more, or even move, a blaster manifested above Asgore’s head. The floating skull weapon opened it’s maw let lose a blast of white magic aimed for Decishur. Decishur did manage to roll out of the way, but the horror-fueled transfixion that held the others in place ended. 

“Heh, looks like the cavalry made in here just in time.” A voice commented from the other side of the decimated hallway. “You guys look terrible.” 

Sans, with Chara and Asriel, stood on the other side of the obliterated hallway, trapping the mage between a (miraculously)surviving wall to his back, and opponents of the three remaining direction. Chara glowered at Decishur. 

“It seems I have more in common with this, guy than just lacking a soul.” Asriel said. “We’ve both absorbed a soul before.” 

Decishur raised an eyebrow in the flower, but chose to say anything.

 

Gaster sighed. Everything that he’d hoped wouldn’t happen had just happened. Though that was the least of their problems at the moment. Even with Sans and the dreemurr children, Decishur was still a threat to be reckoned with. As long as he had those 4 human souls he had the capability of some extremely powerful magic on hand. 

“What we need to do is destroy those souls.” He thought. 

But that was easier said than done, even knowing that Decishur was a very lose cannon. 

“Do you think you can use blue magi on him?” Aruin asked. 

Gaster nodded. “Yes.” 

The Purple mage smiled. “Flower child, are you still able to summon your vines?” 

“Yeah!” Asriel responded. 

“You have a plan?” Naui asked. 

“Yes, and if it works, we should have a chance to destroy those souls Decishur has.” He responded. 

“Asgore, attack with fire!” Aruin commanded. 

The king of monsters did as the purple mage commanded, with a wave of his arm and flurry of fire was hurled in Decishur’s direction. Said mage summoned a barrier to block the fire storm. Asgore’s flurry of fire left the opening Gaster needed. Acting, the elder skeleton monster summoned a set of blasters, their faces bearing the same cracks as he did. Instead of white magic, the blasters shot out beams of blue magic.Decishur stopped, letting the beams engulf his still body. The attack did no damage, the target wasn’t moving after all, but that wasn’t the point of the attack. The moment the blue beams stopped, the mage was thrown to the ground, held prisoner by the other use of blue magic. The soulless mage glared at him before getting up. Affecting a creature without a soul with blue magic wasn’t easy, but it was do-able, as Decishur now was learning. 

He let out a curse as he noticed vines wrapping around his arms and legs. Behind, Asriel let out a cackling laugh. Naui ran at Decishur as Hydel drew back his bow string. First, Naui’s magic enhanced punch collided with the orange soul, shattering it like glass. The force behind the orange mage’s blow sent Decishur backwards. As soon as he was clear, Hydel let lose a golden arrow. The arrow struck the yellow soul, breaking it into three. Snarling, Decishur twisted so that he could slice through the vines that viced his limbs. Aruin began mutering something and Kaimeer braced their staff. The air around their foe exploded into a shower of purple and green sparkles. Despite their color, the green sparkles did not heal, but they didn’t harm either. Opening his eyes, Aruin made a motion with his free hand as though throwing a knife. A needle of purple magic found it’s place at the center of the purple soul. Spider web cracks appeared on the purple heart before it shattered. Finally, Kaimeer attacks, a single fireball was all they used to break the final soul Decishur had. The red mage growled, glaring at everyone. Stabbing his sword into the ground, he carved a circular hole into the floor. Everyone watched at the floor gave way, watching as he made his escape. 

“Well someone’s a downer.” Sans said finally. 

Gaster let out a little ‘pft’ at his son’s comedic relief, Chara just groaned.


	54. Chapter 54

Undyn watch with a mix of shook and anger as Decishur lept from a hole he’d made in the building’s side, landed on the roof of one of the police cars, nearly slice a man’s arm off at the shoulder, and then run off into an alleyway. That was something you didn’t see every day, or every year for that mater. 

“What the absolute fuck?” Officer Abersteel Said beside her. 

The fish monster was sorely tempted to rip off the car door keeping her inside and go chase after the escapee. But didn’t do so because she knew there was no way she’d catch the bastard. 

“I’d love to know what it was that made the guy turn tail and get the hell out ‘a there.” She heard a fellow officer say. 

Maybe is she wasn’t so royally pissed, Undyn would have shared that curiosity. Right now all she wanted to do was find Alphys and make sure her girlfriend was alright. 

“Looking at the damage, unless your little lady was working on the top floor, I’d say she’s probably perfectly fine.” Abersteel commented. 

Undyn grunted in response, she wasn’t sure what floor Alphys was assigned, but at least her superior had given her some hope for a bright outcome.

 

Aruin, Naui, Hydel, and Kaimeer had left back to their pocket dimension before the police had a chance to enter the building. Gaster was passed over to paramedics after the others insisted that they were alright, and barely avoiding chara threatening someone with a knife. Sans and Asgore received the most questioning, the officers generally regarded Chara with little notice to their presence, probably due to their age. Those that did, however,rubbed the red eyed child the wrong way with how they tried to metaphorically coddle them. Again, this was probably due to how young there were. Sans snickered as a male officer was doing just that, this earned him a smoldering glare from said child. Asriel wasn’t as bothered. When the officers realized that he was more than just a yellow flower, specifically that he could talk, there was some mild surprise, but nothing more was said than “Talking yellow flower monster… Seems legit.” 

 

“U-u-Undyn!” Alphys exclaimed. 

Undyn didn’t respond to her girlfriend’s surprise, instead she opted to scoop the yellow drake up into her arms and give her a ‘bear’ hug. 

“Thank Asgore you’re alright!” The fish lady said. “I was worried when they said the lab was attacked- I was worried you’d been hurt!” 

Alphys’s expression darkened. “I-I’m alright, the o-only p-p-people hurt were, only the s-security guards were harmed as f-far a-as I know.” She stammered. 

“In total, we’ve got at least 15 deceased, all security guards, and at least one guy hurt, a Monster by the name of Dr. Gaster.” Another officer said. “We haven’t had a chance to talk to him yet, but King Asgore and a… Sans? Both say the perpetrator had fought with him. That would explain why the top floor looks like it does.” 

Alphys grimaced. She’d talked with several of the security staff, they were good men. The security guards didn’t mind letting the scientist ramble on to them about what they were researching, at least when they were on break that is. She’d even talked to a few herself. There was a good chance at least one of the dead was a person she’d talked to before. 

 

“Besides some bruising and a few hairline fractures on the right Ulna. I’m not too sure about the, er, ‘anatomy’ of something that’s all bone, so I’d recommend seeing your physician if complications arise.” The medic said. 

“Thank you.” Gaster replied, getting up. 

The skeleton let out a breath of relief. At least nothing was broken, bruising and a few hairline fractures were minor compared to what he could have come out of the fight with. Before he could go find his Son and Asgore, a pair of detectives walked over to him. 

“Pardon us, but I think you know why we’ve come to talk.” The man on the right said. 

Gaster sighed and nodded. “You wish to ask me a few questions about the recent events that have transpired, correct?” The two nodded. 

“Thank you for your cooperation, I promise to keep this as short as we can.” The other man said. 

The two men lead him off away from most of the other people, probably as a means to make this more private. At least they now didn’t have to worry about talking over a crowd of other people. 

“King Asgore informed us a while back that you know quite a bit about the criminal responsible not only for the recent events, but the attempts on the Ambassadors life?” Detective A, the first of the pair to initiate this conversation, asked.

“I’m not sure I would go as far as to say I know quite a bit about him, but Decishur, the man responsible, and I have some history between us.” Gaster answered. 

Detective A nodded. “Alright, what can you tell us about him? Witnesses claim they saw him use magic.” 

“Decishur-he’s an interesting individual. He’s a mage from the war between our kind that has somehow managed to come back. Now he wishes to instigate a new war with the hopes or eradicating my race.” 

“I can believe that, Magic is something we humans know very little about. So why the vendetta against you, Dr. ?” 

“Many reasons, but the biggest would have to be is that I’m the reason he cant use most of his power, and as long as I live this remains a fact.” 

“Interesting, and I am correct in assuming the reason he is after the ambassador is because of the roll they play?” 

“If you mean the role of acting as a link between humans and monsters, then yes.” 

A nodded and gave his partner a look. 

“Thank you for your time and cooperation Dr. Gaster, this should be all.” He said. 

Gaster nodded and smiled. “Yes, and thank you as well, my last interaction with human law enforce meant was back before the war, and it hadn’t gone quite as smoothly. It is refreshing to see and interact with men such as the two of you.”


	55. Chapter 55

By the time everything was said and done, Gaster wanted nothing more than to crawl into bed and sleep for the next week or so. But they weren’t home yet, and at this point he was running on fumes. 

“Gees Dad, you look terrible.” Sans said. 

“How ‘bout you go run from a psychotic killer mage with no soul and see how nice you come out looking.” Gaster shot back. 

Sans shrugged. “Nah, don’t feel like putting in the effort.” 

Rolling his eye lights, the elder skeleton let out a sigh of relief when a familiar house came into view. It might not be the home he shared with his sons, but at this point Toriel’s couch was looking very enticing as a place to crash for an hour or two. 

“Soooooo, do we tell mom ‘nd Frisk about our little outing?” Chara asked once everyone was inside. “Just asking because they should be home in about five or ten minutes.” 

Sans looked and the time and let out a whistle. It was to minutes to 3, and Frisk’s school let out around 2:30. 

“Well, the moment she sees my Dad passed out on the couch she’ll know something happened.” Sans replied. 

Chara nodded. The three of them shuffled into the living room to find Gaster not passed out on the couch, or even in the room at all. 

“Mama’s in the bathroom cleaning up.” Hollow answered, sensing the unspoken question. “Miss Toriel might not take kindly to finding a chemical-soaked skeleton asleep on her couch.” 

 

Toriel and Frisk arrived home just as Gaster had settled down to fall asleep, dressed in clean clothes no one bother to ask where they’d come from. “Do I even want to ask?” She inquired. “Decishur happened.” The 4 lucid people remaining in the room responded.

 

“Sounds like quite the eventful time." Toriel commented. 

“Why does all the cool stuff have to happen when I’m at school?” Frisk jokingly asked. 

Toriel shot the young ambassador a look. They merely shrugged and looked innocent. 

“It wasn’t all cool, Decishur managed to off about 15 security guards before going after Dad, and just about blow up the top floor of the lab.” Sans said. “And that’s not even including the arm he nearly cut off when he made his great escape.” 

“Decishur will probably spend the next few weeks licking his wounds and coming up with a new plan, probably one with the same end goal as today’s.” Hollow piped in. 

“Sans, you said Hollow admitted to absorbing a boss monster’s soul before the end of the war?” Toriel asked. 

“Yeah, why?” The shorter skeleton inquired. 

“No particular reason.” The lady boss monster said. 

Her eyes said otherwise, but Sans chose not to pursue it at the moment. A conveniently timed knock at the door ended the chat somewhat as Hollow left to go join his parent in finding out who was at the door. 

“DAD, YOU’RE ALRIGHT!” Papyrus nearly shouted from the doorway. 

The tall skeleton proceeded to bear hug his father tightly as his youngest sibling and a certain fire elemental watched with amusement. 

“Uh, bro, might want to ease up there, dad’s lookin’ a little purple there.” Sans said. 

Remembering his own strength, Papyrus released his father from his ‘embrace’, a light dusting of orange tinting his face from embarrassment. 

“So bro, I assume you’ve come to get us?” Sans asked. 

Papyrus nodded. “YES, AFTER WHAT I SAW ON THE NEWS I THOUGHT AT LEAST DAD WOULD LIKE TO GO HOME AND REST.” He informed. 

“Papyrus let me join, and I’m glad to see you’re alright Gaster.” Grillby added. 

Gaster let out a happy sigh. “I’d love nothing more than to go home and sleep, calling what happened at the lab eventful is putting it very lightly.” He said.

 

“Asgore, are you alright?” 

Asgore turned around to see Irina standing in the doorway of the terrace greenhouse. Her eye held a spark of worry. 

“I heard about the attack on TechReach, and that you’d been there to fight the bastard responsible.” The U.S diplomat said.

Asgore sighed and gave her a warm smile. “Do not worry, I didn’t get hurt.” He said. 

Some of Irina’s worry eased away, but not all. She didn’t respond immediately, after a short pause she opened her mouth to speak. 

“Physically I can see you’re alright, but you don’t look so fine emotionally.” She said. “Want to talk?” 

Asgore stared down at the watering can in his hands, debating whether he wanted to talk. 

“Sure,” He said finally. 

The two walked towards the table, and for a brief moment neither said anything. 

“First, a few days ago I learned that my children have come back from the grave, Asriel as a flower and Chara… I’m not sure what they came back as.” Asgore said, ending the silence. 

“That sound’s like a good thing, but that isn’t what’s eating at your mind.” Irina said. 

“No, it isn’t.” asgore agreed. “I learned that there was more to my eldest brother Decier’s death than I’d previously thought.” The king of monsters began. “He’d been killed by a merciless creature who absorbed his soul and intended to use this newfound power to cast a genocide spell that would have ended monster kind.”

Irina let out a small gasp, but didn’t make a move to stop him. 

“It’s ironic really, humans had started the war fearing we monsters might go and steal their souls to become stronger, it never occurred to them that the opposite might happen.” He said with a hint of humorless laughter. “I never saw that coming, thankfully he doesn’t have access to the godly powers he obtained from this action, but he’s now hell-bent on getting that power back.” 

“The attack on TechReach was his first attempt at it I presume?” She inquired. 

Asgore nodded. Sighing, Irina grabbed both of Asgore’s larger paw-like hands in her smaller, human ones and looked him in the eyes. 

“Asgore, I won’t claim I understand how you feel, because I don’t fully. But he will not get away with his crimes, after all, karma is said to be quite the bitch.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay, Irina's back kinda! And I'll be haveing quite the ball writing the next chapter.


	56. Chapter 56

It had to be a nightmare, there was no other explanation. None the less, Gaster’s mind reeled as he stared at Hollow’s lifeless body. Blood and dust seeping out onto the ground, proof of the boy’s mixed heritage. Floating inches from his trembling flange, a soul of a deep midnight cobalt, integrity's color. The small souls glitched and was replaced a by a new, smaller soul of a blood red surrounding a rich, forest green. Looking at this new soul gave him a sense of de Ja Vue, but he’d never seen a soul like this one before. The sound of heavy footfalls made hum tense and bring the little soul to his chest defensively. He glared up at Decishur, fear persisting in the back of his skull as he stared into the demon’s crimson eyes. 

“My my, another one? And this one even has my old color.” The soulless mage said, grinning. 

“You’re old color? I don’t see any black on them.” Gaster talked back. 

Decishur only snorted, his expression didn’t change. Dust and blood coated the red mage’s hands, clinging like ashen red gloves that left a red make on anything they touched. Gaster watched as Decishur raised his sword, and braced himself for the inevitable that would come.

 

Gaster woke in a panic, eyes ablaze with purple light. After a few moments of rapid breathing, his mind stopped spinning as he realized he was back in reality and out of that nightmare. Shuddering, he sat up and placed his head in his hands. That was the first nightmare he’d actually had sense his return from the void not too long ago. True the experience didn’t leave him, but the trauma endured from that ordeal had never crossed over from the waking world. The nightmare left him disturbed and confused. The part with Hollow dead was unsurprising; Decishur wanted to both kill him and torcher him, and knew killing Hollow would do the latter. 

But that soul, the little red and green one. It was rare for a soul to have more than one dominant trait, and for determination-an already rare dominant soul trait in the first place- to be one of those two traits, it was mind boggling. And yet, why did it feel familiar, the little soul? He’d never seen an actual bi traited soul before in anything other than pictures in text. And why those two traits; determination and kindness? Groaning, Gaster fell backward and placed the back one one hand over his eye sockets. Right now he wanted to sleep, unfortunately it didn’t come. 

“Mama?” A small voice asked shyly. 

Turning his head, he saw Hollow standing in the doorway, fiddling his hands together nervously. 

“Hollow, are you alright?” he asked. 

His youngest son said nothing, just continued pressing his hands together and staring at the ground. Sighing, Gaster scooted over and patted the now open empty space. Nodding, Hollow trotted over and crawled under the blankets to join him. 

“Better?” He asked. 

“Better.” Hollow confirmed.

 

“I saw what happened yesterday, must have been quite the eventful afternoon.” Edna commented. 

“Y-y-yeah, t-that’s putting it lightly, but yeah.” Alphys agreed. 

“Sooooo, when does the university need you back?” Undyn interjected. “Not to sound like a don’t like having you around, but I don’t want to make plans before knowing your schedule.” 

“Spring break ends the Monday after next, so I’ve got a full week and three days left before I need to leave.” Enda replied. 

“Awesome!” Undyn said before heading out of the room. 

“Do I even want to know?” Edna asked, one eyebrow raised. 

Alphys laughed. “No, probably not.” She siad. 

Edna shrugged and leaned back into the couch. 

“If you’re father were here, I’m, certain we would have been out on a day long trip to the local museums by now, with Undyn probably trying to hide chewing her leg off at the knee.” She said after a moment. 

“Yeah, I’ve seen a few museums and I thought the same thing.” Alphys agreed. “Maybe that’s something we should do before you leave, all of us can go to the local Museum of military history- when I told Undyn about it-she nearly suplexed the coffee table. And I’m certain the two of us could find something interesting in there.” 

Edna chuckled and nodded. “I’d like that, it could be great family bonding time.” 

“Now them,” Edna said, changing subject. “I know the two of you have been serious for quite some time now. Any plans on going the full distance and getting hitched?” 

Alphys squeaked and his her face in her hands. 

“M-m-m-m-m-mom!” She cried. “I-i-i-isn’t t-this a bit soon to b-be asking?” 

“Sorry honey, but I am getting a little impatient in the grandchildren department, and I know how much you love that handsome fish of your.” 

“Mom!”

 

There was something both oddly adorable and oddly hilarious about seeing Gaster with Hollow curled up on his lap like the kid was trying to be a ball. 

“Heh, now all I need is a camera.” Grillby thought. 

“Sorry ‘bout coming on such short notice.” He said. 

Gaster gave him a passive wave of his hand. 

“No, no, it’s alright, I’m more than happy to spend time with you.” The skeleton said. “Sans and Papyrus are off doing their own thing, and it will take some time to fix the lab, so it’s just Hollow and I right now.” 

“How are you feeling anyway? Decishur did give you a rough time.” The fire elemental asked. 

“I’m fine, besides a few fractures I came out far-“ Gaster was cut off by a shooting pain deep in his bones. Opting to not force Hollow off his lap, Gaster instead semi curled around his son. The pain lasted only for a few breaths, but it’s mere presence still left the scientist shaking. Hollow, now awake, rolled off his father’s lap and looked at him with big black and blue eyes. 

“E-excuse me a moment.” Gaster said, then teleported to the bathroom. 

Manifesting his soul, there hiding withing was another soul, red around green in color.


	57. Chapter 57

Cupping his soul in both hands, Gaster stared at the human soul with a mix of surprise and shock. He hadn't expected this outcome, despite knowing he’d been drenched in a number of chemicals in a very magically charged environment. When the little soul became aware of him, it greeted him with shy curiosity. Unlike Hollow’s soul, which had been afraid of him at first. It was still very fragile. Hollow’s soul hadn’t been this fragile when he’d first discovered it, but perhaps that was because it had been months before he became aware of what he had done. This time around, he’d found this little soul almost right after it had been created. 

“I have another child.” He thought. 

Before he had time to complete that line of thought, a stabbing pain blossomed in his soul, forcing him to brace himself against the counter to stay standing. The read and green soul began to panic. It wasn’t his body attacking the little soul, he could see that quite clearly. Eventually the pain ebbed away into a dull ache. The soul calmed down some when he wasn’t in such excruciating pain, but it could clearly tell that he’d been rattled by the pain. 

“W-what was that just now?” He wondered. 

That hadn’t been his soul because it clearly didn’t register the newcomer as a threat, just yet at least. But something had happened, otherwise he wouldn’t have been afflicted by pain just now. Then he remembered what red meant. The new soul was both green and red, and red was the color that meant determination. And for monsters, exes determination could be deadly, even in small quantities. 

“And unlike Hollow, you’ll be producing quite a bit of determination.” He murmured softly. 

If the little soul understood him, it didn’t show it. 

“Heh, at least I found you this early, human levels of determination and monsters don’t really go well together.” 

If he hadn’t discovered the soul now, he surely would have discovered it in the near future. The levels of determination possessed would have made sure of that. 

“It’s a good thing I don’t have work at the moment, I’ll need to hand you first.” 

Opening the bathroom door, Gaster nearly crashed into Grillby on his way out. Any thoughts about his new predicament or pre-plans for a body for the soul were thrown out the metaphorical window as he remembered that the fire elemental was still there. And probably still worried about his first pain episode. 

“I was worried about you.” Grillby said. 

Letting out a neutral breath, The skeleton smiled. 

“Yeah, I’d be worried too if I were in your place.” He said. 

“So, care to till me what that episode of pain was all about?” Grillby asked. 

“It has to do with a new soul, right?” Hollow inquired before Gaster could say anything. 

Both adults nearly jumped when they realized that the youngest member, or second youngest as of right now, had followed along. 

“Yeah.” Gaster admitted. “Turns out a came out with more than some bumps and hairline cracks, but a new human soul as well.” 

The look on the fire elemental’s face could only be described as ‘Grillby.exe-has-stoped-working-‘.

 

Making sure the door was locked before proceeding, they let out a stained breath. Using meditative breathing to relax, the summoned their soul. Staring at the half electric yellow, half royal purple soul floating inches above their palm, they sighed. So the colors were yellow and purple today. Souls were only supposed to be one color, which represented a person’s strongest trait. But for some reason they weren’t like that. It wasn’t just that their soul held two colors, but that those colors were never static. When they’d first seen their soul, it had been orange and sky blue. 

“Why me?” They pondered. “Why did it have to be me that’s the freak?” 

Squeezing their eyes shut, they slid own the wall behind them until they were sitting. Then hugged their legs tightly aganst their chest. Maybe those children had been right, maybe they were just a freak. 

 

“Asgore, is it possible for a soul to change color?” Irina asked. 

“Not that I’ve heard of, no.” The king of monsters replied. “Why?” 

Taking a sip of golden flower tea, the human diplomat looked hesitant. 

“No reason in particular.” She answered slowly. “But what about a soul that has two colors?” 

“Bi traited souls do exist, but they are rare. But it doesn’t stop at just two, it is possible for a soul to have multiple colors really.” Asgore explained. 

Irina appeared to relax a little after hearing that. Asgore studied the young woman. He knew there was a personal reason she’d asked about soul colors, but he wasn’t sure just what that reason was just yet. Despite his growing curiosity, the large goat monster chose to keep quiet. He trusted she would tell him when she was ready.

 

“How?!” Chara screeched. “You’re supposed to be the god damn hero!” 

“Chara, calm down,” Asriel said. “Even hero’s have their times of weakness, right?”

Chara pouted and sat back down. The protagonist on screen was still face down in the dirt, and didn’t look like they’d be getting up anytime soon. The villain was silently gloating off to the side. 

“You always were a fool, you know?” The antagonist said. “You honestly thought that I could be redeemed? That I could be a good person if I tried? Ha! Don’t make me laugh- that’s nothing more than a childish delusion! This would is nothing more than a meat grinder constantly grinding away our innocence!” 

They continued on with their monolog, but Chara stopped listening. Partly because they were bored an just wanted him to get it already, and partly because they understood what he was rambling on about. They knew how cruely this world could be, it was the reason they headed to Mt.Ebott in the first place. 

“Then what about the selfless?” The protagonist asked. “The countless nameless heroes who save lives knowing they will never be thanked?”


	58. Chapter 58

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hollow: "Get dunked bully"

Frisk found Hollow waiting outside the school building. With the less than human looking parts of him hidden from view, he looked like a somewhat normal human child. The only thing about him that could potentially mark him as anything other than human was his eyes, and those were hidden under the fluffiness of his bangs. 

“How long have you been waiting?” They asked. 

“About three minutes, give or take a few seconds.” The young boy answered, getting up. 

“Well, well, well, what do we have here?” Someone behind the duo said. 

Frisk knew that voice, and couldn’t help but cringe. Whirling around they locked eyes with the meanest bully in their school, Carson. Hollow didn’t know who the older boy was exactly, so he just stared at him with mild curiosity. 

“Who’s the runt you got there?” Carson asked, jerking his head in Hollow’s direction. 

“He’s the son of a family friend.” Frisk answered slowly. 

While it is true they didn’t hate Carson, that didn’t mean they liked him either. The bigger kid was notorious for picking on others, especially kids smaller than he was. 

“Really?” Carson said with mock surprise. “I thought you two were related, he looks like he’s just as much of a freak as you are!” 

Frisk gritted their teeth. They didn’t really care what Carson said about them- They had thick enough skin to deal with it. But Hollow was different. He was a sweet kid, and he certainly didn’t deserve to be picked on by those with ego issues. 

“Oh, thank you!” Hollow said with genuine joy. 

Both Frisk and Carson looked at the younger child with shock. 

“W-what?!” Carson exclaimed. 

“You said I’m as freaky looking as Frisk, and Frisk is not very freaky looking.” Hollow explained. 

Frisk smiled. They resisted the urge to scoop the young hybrid up and carry him off to a secure place. He really was Papyrus’s brother, they were both precious cinnamon bunnies to pure for this world. Carson didn’t seem to agree, though. The bigger kid was shaking with rage, his face bright red. 

“You sure this kid isn’t your long lost brother of something? ‘Cause he is just as big a freak as you are, maybe even more. I bet he even lives with monster like you too.” Carson nearly growled. 

Frisk shot him a look. 

“I do live with monster’s, my mama and older brothers are all skeletons.” Hollow replied. “My brother Papyrus is such a cool dude!” 

Hollow was either really oblivious to the fact Carson was trying to bully him, or he was as thick skinned as Frisk. It was hard to tell which. 

“Wait, Papyrus as in the tall skeleton Papyrus?” Carson asked. 

Hollow nodded. Frisk didn’t like where this was going. 

“As in that tall loser who thinks he’s so great when he’s actually the biggest clown in town?” Carson said, a small grin forming on his face. “Man I really feel sorry for you now, it must be so hard having such a delusional loser for an older brother.” 

“Carson! That’s enough!” Frisk said. 

“why? I’m just speaking the truth, that’s all.” Carson countered. 

Hollow remained silent throughout this small exchange, his head tilted to to looked downcast. Frisk shot him a worried glance. Before they could say anything more, Carson was suddenly brought to his knees, his soul out and a deep blue instead of a faded orange. Hollow’s head was no longer downcast. Silently, he walked forward until he was inches from touching noses with the older boy. Tilting his head sideways, his white hair parted just enough to let Carson see his right eye, glowing bright blue and yellow like Sans’s had in judgment hall during the end of that one timeline many resets ago. 

“My brother Papyrus is a cool dude, and unlike you, he doesn’t need to torment people smaller than him to feel as great as he does.” Hollow said. “He isn’t a loser, he a bigger person than you’ll ever hope to be.” 

Turning around, Hollow walked back towards Frisk. With a snap of his fingers, the blue on Carson’s soul was gone and he was freed from the younger boy’s magic. 

“Oh, and Carson,” Hollow began. “If I ever hear you say anything like that about My family or Frisk ever again, I’ll personally make sure you have a very bad time.” 

Carson scrambled to his feet and ran off in the other direction. The small crowd that had gathered dissipated as soon as the bully had ran away with his tail between his legs.

 

To put it lightly, Gaster was nervous. Sans and Papyrus had to know, it was their little sibling after all. And after thinking it over, having both Edna, a mother and scientist, as well as Toriel, a mother, ‘on board’ so to speak would be beneficial. That didn’t mean this was going to be easy. 

“Calm down Wing Dings, it’s no like you’re telling them that you just killed a man.” He mentally chided himself. “But I am telling them I’ve ended up making another synthetic soul…” 

“SANS, ARE YOU SURE IT WAS A GOOD IDEA TO LET HOLLOW WALK FRISK HOME? “ Papyrus asked. “I don’t see why it isn’t.” Sans answered. “Decishur is probably gonna need a few days to recover.” 

Gaster smiled at let out a sigh. 

“Alright, let’s get this over with shall we.” 

“Oh, there you Are Dr.Gaster. I’m glad to see you’ve finally arrived.” Edna said. 

“Thank you, I figured staying inside all day wouldn’t be the most enjoyable.” Gaster replied. “Edna, there’s something I have-“ 

Gaster hadn’t foreseen the pain the shot through his entire skeleton. Falling to his knees, he wus faintly aware of the commotion his situation had spawned. 

“Dad! You alright?” Sans(?) asked. 

“Oh! Mama’s having another one, don’t worry- mama’ll be fine in a little bit!” Someone small piped up. 

True to their prediction, after a few breaths the pain subsided. Hollow walked up to his side. 

“This is number three, right?” The small child asked. 

“Heh, nope, number four now.” Gaster informed him. “I had another one a little after you left.” 

No one asked any questions, thankfully. Carefully Gaster got back up and gave them all an apologetic look. 

“It will be easier to show you rather than explain.” He said. 

Gaster summoned his soul.


	59. Chapter 59

The first child to fall into the underground after Chara and Asriel’s death had been of a yellow soul. With justice gleaming in their eyes and a handgun that was supposedly empty, they had exited the ruins in secret. Waterfall was where they first had to actually defend themselves, and in had come to a surprise to see their empty gun fire golden light. They’d wounded the monster, not killed it, but seeing the dust fall to the ground like particles of snow in place of blood- the child wailed out an apology and ran away. The monster they’d wounded would be among those to fall down and received injections of determination years later. As soon as the child had reached hotland, they tossed the weapon away along with their hat into the nearest dumpster. Asgore had surprised them with his reluctance to kill, but in the end the king of monster’s did what he had to, whispering apologies to the yellow soul as he placed it into a container. Monsters became somewhat cautious of humans after that. 

The second to fall was the purple soul, they left the ruins with a promise to the loving caretaker that if they failed to go home, they would return. With a their foggy glasses and torn notebook in hand, they marched through the underground to the castle, perseverance filled their eyes. They chose to run from conflict, choosing not to fight. When they came to waterfall, there they met the old war veteran Garrison. After a plesent chate over sea tea and crab apples(as well as the child’s remaining cinnamon bunnies), they gifted the old war vet with their notebook and glasses. The battle was no easier for the king of monsters, the child pleaded to be let go- telling him of their promise. Once again apologies were made in whispered voices as the second soul was acquired. 

The two souls of aqua and blue fell together, twins with a bond far deeper than just their shared blood. The aqua soul was a pacifist, abandoning their toy knife as soon as they could, then gifting their ribbon to a monster they soon called friend. The blue soul was merciful, but was no stranger to fighting to defend their sibling, eventually their tutu and ballet shoes were gifted away. The two pairs eyes shown with patience and integrity up until the very end. The two passed on together, unable to speak forgiveness in response to the hushed apologies they received from Asgore. 

Next came the green soul, a child overflowing with warmth and creativity. They fought back only once; when the caretaker in the ruins demanded they show their strength. They’d only delt one point of damage to her, and yet still they broke down crying. When they reached hotland, they taught a monster of fire how to cook, leave their trusty pan and beloved apron behind as a gift. They met Asgore with a smile than never waver- even in death, they refused to fight, kindness practically glowing in their eyes. Once more the king grieved and gave his apologies. 

The last to fall before the angel was the orange soul, hot-headed and looking for a fight. For the most part they avoided killing, but before reaching snowdin, their greed for a fight lead them to kill, that single increase in love cause them to discarded their gloves and bandana.They decided to give up their past ways and become a better person, the flames of bravery present in their eyes as they pushed through fear and anger. Their sin did not make the battle with them any easier for Asgore.

 

Then, when the memories of humans faded from most, a red soul came. They spared- refusing to fight even in the end. They gave Asriel the push he needed to be freed from the past, and acted as the catalyst that freed all of monster kind. It was their kindness that allowed the first fallen child to hope again.

 

Frisk was mesmerized by the little red and green soul, much like anyone was enthralled by a baby. 

“A bi trated soul even, that must have been quite the surprise.” Edna said with a snicker. 

“Yes, even more so when I learned one of those traits is determination.” Gaster agreed. “I can feel it already, this child is going to make me rue eve life choice I’ve made in the past, I just know it." 

Gaster de-manifested his soul, much to frisk ,and secretly Chara’s, dismay. 

“I’m lucky I discovered them so early, any later and the determination they produce would have dome some noticeable damage.” Gaster said. “That in mind, I still need to craft them a body; both for my health’s sake and their well being. I have everything else but a donor of human blood.” 

“I’ll do it!” Frisk volunteered. 

Everyone looked that the child ambassador with surprise at their quick response to the elder skeleton’s problem. 

“What?” they asked. “Chara got to be Hollow’s big sibling, now it’s my turn.”

Sans proceeded to laugh. 

“Heh, cant beat that logic, not in a skele-ton of years.” He said between chuckles. 

 

Something felt off to Toriel, something Frisk related. Whether it was mom sense related or something else entierly, that didn’t really mater. Whatever it was she was feeling off about, it didn’t cause her mom sense’s red lights to go off. That meant that whatever it was wasn’t something dangerous or important, and that it could wait until after she was done grading papers for the day. She made a mental note to talk to Frisk later. “Oh my child, what is it that you have gotten yourself into now?” She wondered. Frisk was known to be a handfull, even before they’d officially stared ambassador duties. They did get into trouble from time to time, but those had been relatively minor things such as helping get stuff or people out of trees and standing up to bullies. Hopefully whatever it was that they’d done was like that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If I got Gerson's name wrong, please tell me. Also, there is no cannon in regards the order of the fallen children, or their relations to eachother. Buuuut, I kept them ambiguis for that reason as well.


	60. Chapter 60

Toriel came home to walk into the oddest fraction of a conversation in her life. 

“Frisk, I know you really want to do this, but you need to have Toriel’s permission first, she is your guardian after all.” The speaker sounded like Gaster, but that just raised more questions from one answer. 

“But kids don’t normally need parent permission to become older siblings!” Frisk objected. 

“What in the name of the delta angel?” Toriel wondered. 

The goat-esk boss monster walked into the living room to find Frisk staring up at Graster with a pouty face as the elder skeleton fidgeted with discomfort over the situation. None of the other people in the room made an effort to help him. 

“Alright, would someone care to explain the conversation I just walked into?” She asked. 

As soon as the scientist realized she was there, his expression quickly changed to that of an ‘oh thank god you’re here now’ one. 

“Mama discovered he now has a new synthetic soul, and Frisk want to be the big sibling of this one.” Hollow explained from his spot on the couch. “But mama doesn’t want to get in trouble with you.” 

Toriel raised an eyebrow and looked at the two. 

“What? Frisk made the decision on their own- I had nothing to do with it.” Gaster said, lifting up his hands in a defensive manner. 

Toriel sighed, shook her head, and then looked at Frisk. 

“Dr. Gaster, while I do trust you would never do anything to intentionally harm or take advantage of Frisk, thank you for waiting for me before making a final decision.” She said. “And Frisk,” 

The child looked up at them with determination, it brought a soft smile to her lips. 

“You have my permission.” 

While they didn’t bounce around the room in glee, Frisk’s expression did brighten up to one of joy. Gaster relaxed. Apparently he’d faced off with Frisk’s ‘pupy face’, if how tense he’d been a moment ago was an indicator of anything. At least he had the willpower to resist the cuteness. Then she began thinking about the news she’d just received not even half a minute ago. Her smile vanished. 

“I need to go do something, I’ll be back in a few minutes.” She murmured, slipping out of the room mostly unnoticed. Gaster did catch her expression as she slipped out.

 

Before either king of monster or human diplomat could speak, both of their phones sundenly when off. Both shufled off to oposet corners of the garden for privacy. 

“Howdy, this is Asgore.” He said. 

“I know, it’s me.” A certain familiar voice said from the other end of the line. “I know this might be a bit suden, but I feel you had a right to know as soon as posible.” 

“Tori, what’s going on- Did something happen to Frisk?” Asgore asked. 

“Kind of, Gaster has a new human soul and Frisk voluntered to be the one to donate their genetics to help creat it’s body.” Toriel explained. 

“I’m guessing He’ll be over some time tomorrow to do that.” 

Asgore’s breathing hitched a little. So it seemes Hollow will not be the only of his kind. 

“I’m asuming you called because you’re thinking what I’m thinking.” He said. 

“Yes.” 

The two fell silent, thinking over the situation and what the best plan of action might be. 

“We can't keep Hollow’s exsistance a secret forever, that will be doble as true with a second hybrid on the way.” Toriel said. 

“I know, Hollow is such a sweet kid, it wouldn’t be right to hide him away.” 

“So, what do we do then?” 

“I’ll talk to Gaster first, but I think the best action is to admit the truth if the humans ask.” 

“Even knowing that neither most of humans nor monsters will take it kindly?” 

“Yes, even knowing that. We’ll just hve to do our best to pretect him, not just from Decishur.” 

Speaking of the corupt mage, it migh be posible to keep Hollow’s exsistance a secret. Decishur knows about Hollow, and his hate of monster would make it very easy for him to let out the truth to the masses. 

“I’ll be over in a little while to talk furthur, there are still somethings I need to finish up here.” 

“Alright, see you then.” 

Asgore put his phone away and sighed. This would not be a can of worms he’d want to even think about the posabuility of opening, but it was better to prepare for it sooner rather than later. 

“I have some personal things I must atytend to imidiatly.” Irina said. 

Asgore nodded and watched her leave.

 

“Ether, I know you’re not alright. I got a call.” Irina said. 

She stood in front of the wooden door, the thing acting as the barrier between her and the person beyond it. She’d rushed to the door as soon as she’s entered into the two’s shared apartment, not even bothering to take off her shoes or coat, or even clean off her makeup. This was not something she normally did. 

“I talked with Asgore again today, I still think the to of you should meet sometime- You’d like him.” 

Again the silence on the other side persisted. 

“I aksed him about souls. While a soul that changes color is unheard of, a soul with two or more traits is possible.” 

The sounds of shuffling came from the other side of the door. 

“Ether, that means you aren’t as abnormal, alright?” 

The door’s lock clicked, but didn’t open. Irina took her cue and opened the door. The room was mostly empty, and quite dark; the blinds had been pulled down to keep most of the daylight out. A person sat in the corner of the room farthest from the door, knees pulled up to their chest. Irina walked over to them and knelt down. 

“Ether, if you’re a freak, then what about me? The girl who collected animal skulls in elementary school?” Irina said. 

Ether snorted and repositioned their head to look at her with an eye red from crying.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Picturing a fun sized Irina with a bunch of rat skulls is amusing.


	61. Chapter 61

Ether made no sounds of protest when Irina sat down next to them. All they did do was place their face back into their knees. Faded candy pink and brown hair fluttered around their face like many tiny wings. The bedsheet they’d had on over their shoulders had slipped off and was pooling around them in an emerald pool. Their skin, or at least what was exposed, was an unhealthy white color that was only possible in those who hid from the light most of the day. The only features that kept this color from being consistent were the veins peeking out from under the skin, and a few long, thin scars and cuts. The wounds were localized mostly on the hands and feet, but some existed on the elbow and knee joints. One cut on the elbow was still glistening damp. 

“More cuts opened up?” Irina asked. 

Ether didn’t say or do anything. 

“Alright, enough sitting around,” Irina said, getting up. “Let’s get you into the shower, the hot water will make them feel better.” 

Ether mewled in protest as they were hefted up by their armpits into a standing position, then dragged out the door. Once in the bathroom, Irina let her prisoner set themselves onto the toilet and glare at her with bloodshot silver eyes. “Can you get undressed and into the shower on your own?” Irina asked with all the sternness of a parent. Ether scowled at her, but nodded. 

“Alright, I’ll be back in a few minutes with a towel and clean clothes, you’d better be in there by the time I get back.” 

Irina ignored the glare attempting to bore into her back, and the tung she knew Ether was pointing at her. With a fluffy blue towel draped over an arm, Irina grabbed a coral shirt and green apple candy shirt from off a chair. Digging through a dresser drawer, she managed to find a clean white bra and a pair of Pokemon print panties. When she returned, Ether was in the shower and the water was on. She left the towel and fresh clothes on the toilet, and then bent down to collect the dirty one from off the floor. 

“Hopefully these aren't several weeks old.” She silently prayed. 

Unfortunately, Ether was adapt and keeping her clothes smelling decent, even when she’d been wearing the same underpants for a month. Tossing the garments into a hamper of more dirty clothes, Irina grabbed a microwave box of mac and cheese from out of the freezer. 

“Thanks.” Ether muttered as they sat down to a plate of hot noodles and cheese.

At this point, most of the pink hair dye was gone, but a few barely there streaks of pink persisted. Irina waited until the other had something in their stomach before saying anything. 

“Alright, what set you off?” She asked. 

Ether stared at their plate of mac and cheese, seconds crawling by like hours, before they spoke.

“People saw my soul.” They said. “Some jerk instigated a fight with a monster, I went to step in. Everyone saw my soul change color.” 

Irina exhaled from her nose. “And the jerk opened his big, fat mouth and said things… right?” 

Ether nodded. Irina groaned. 

“The bastard probably isn’t even worth it, doesn’t make it any easier to keep from taking him down and cutting him a new one, but like hell do I want him to get away with bad-mouthing my girlfriend!” 

Ether smiled and shook her head. “If it makes you feel better, he did get caught by the cops for starting a fight.” 

Irina snorted and made a face. She wasn’t exactly happy with that, but she would take what she got and work with that. Ether placed a hand on her chest. 

“You-… You said you talked with the king of monsters about it, and that having two states was possible…?” 

Irina nodded. “Yeah, two or more traits is possible, and there are probably more people out there who are like you in that department.” 

“But don't have their soul change color.” 

“No, you’re apparently the first in that category.” 

Ether sighed. “Well, at least it’s something.” She said finally. 

 

Asgore walked to his ex-wife’s house, it felt faster than taking the bus. Despite his considerable bulk, the king of monsters was able to slip in the front door with silent ease and meet Toriel in the kitchen without her hearing him. When the lady boss monster realized he was there, she nodded her head in acknowledgment. 

“Do we know anything more about the child-to-be?” Asgore asked. 

“The only other thing new is that the soul is bi-traited, red and green in color.” Toriel answered. 

Asgore nodded, his lips pursed together as he thought. 

“I doubt that people will realize what kind of soul Hollow, and his new sibling, actually have. Hybrids have existed in the past, and they all had monster souls, for a time it will be assumed that they will be the same.” Asgore said finally. 

“Yes, but what the truth about his soul will come to light, all it will take in one battle, and then it won’t be hard for people to put two and two together.” Toriel pointed out. 

“Yes, and both humans and monsters will have their own unique negative reaction to the full truth.” Gaster said. Both boss monsters jumped when the elder skeleton finished speaking. “It’s rude to talk about someone’s children behind their back.” 

“S-sorry Gaster, that slipped my mind.” Asgore apologized. 

Toriel nodded with an apologetic look. 

“Don’t worry, I understand.” Gaster said. “Monsters will be angry that I not only artificially made a soul, but that it could have been used to give us freedom sooner. Humans will be enraged that a human soul had been made artificially.” 

“Yes, and the knowledge of a second one won’t make either side feel any better.” Asgore murmured darkly. 

“I heard that the soul is bi-traited, if that true?” Asgore asked, switching gears. 

The skeleton nodded. “Determination and kindness.”


	62. Chapter 62

The needle Gaster put on the syringe was small, but it still made a shiver go down Frisk’s spine at the sight of it none the less. Silently, the skeleton rolled up the sleeve on their left bicep and wiped the skin with a disinfectant wipe before poking into their flesh with the needle. They flinched, but thankfully it didn’t cause Gaster any problems. Within a second he’d gathered enough blood to fill one sixteenth of the syringe. The needle slid out of their arm without a problem. Gaster set the needle down and wiped away the few droplets of blood forming before placing a baby blue band-aid over the tiny wound. Frisk rubbed their hurt arm in a vain attempt to ease some of the pain away. 

“Thank you for being so cooperative, now go play.” Gaster said. 

He dismissing them with a smile and a slight wave. Frisk nodded, smiling, and ran to go find Chara, Asriel, and Hollow.

There weren’t that many people at the park, but enough that Frisk short Chara and Asriel a look that said ‘behave yourselves’. Chara just shrugged as both the undead and the flower gave them innocent looks. The pair wandered off, hopefully not planing on scaring any unsuspecting kids. Hollow stayed at their side until Frisk gave him an okay to go play. The hybrid scampered off to the sand box to join a group of six children that looked to be in his age group, a mic of monsters and humans. Frisk decided to go to the swing set and try and go higher on it that they done last time. Thankfully one swing was free when they got there.

When one of the kids already in the sandbox, a floofy mouse monster with teal spots under their eyes, Hollow paused. 

“Is it alright if I join you?” He asked shyly. 

The other kid nodded and shuffled over a bit to make room for him. The other five stared at him as he began helping the mouse finish what looked to be a sand house. Hollow ignored their eyes, he knew he looked strange from their perspective, with light gloves and socks that ran up long enough to hide his arms and legs, and a hat to hide his crest. “Hey, cool belt!” one of the human kids said. With his tail wrapped around him, it did look like a strange belt of some sort. Hollow nodded and smiled. 

“I’m bored.” Another kid proclaimed. “Let’s go play a game over in the flowers.” 

All of the other kids, including the one he was collaborating with, nodded in agreement and ran off to the large flower garden. Hollow shrugged and ran to go catch up.

 

Sans found Gaster attempting to stab a needle into his right ulna, and failing. He almost succeeded in keeping from laughing as his dad let out a string of cursed in wing ding. The elder skeleton glared at him as he made another attempt. 

“Gees dad, do I even want to know how long you’ve been at it?” Sans asked. 

“Trying to poke bone with a needle is hard, especially if said bone is your own.” Gaster defended. 

Sans shook his head and strolled over to the table. 

“Here, let me help, this way it should actually get done.” He said. 

Gaster muttered something inaudible under his breath, but handed the needle to his son without protest. This time things went much more smoothly, with the needle poking into bone and sucking out marrow seamlessly and effortlessly. Then withdrew the needle before the marrow had a chance to turn to dust. 

“Anything else you need help with?” The shorter skeleton asked. 

“No, but if you want, you can watch as I do what it technically conceiving your future youngest sibling.” Gaster answered with a bit of humor. “Though I’ll warn you now, it will get a bit flashy at the end.” 

Sans snorted. “Yeah, sure, wynaut.”

 

The seven where in the middle of a game of tag when a small group of older kids wandered over, all with smiling expressions far from friendly. The possible leader of the group of four was a boy that towered over them all. The red scabs and light facial hair indicated he was older than even Frisk. The older kid’s group was composed of all humans. Hollow and another of his group, a human kid named Sar, place themselves between the older kids and the rest of their group. 

“Well, well, well, what do we have here?” The leader asked. 

“A group of runts all by their lonesome.” The smallest of the older kids answered. 

“And look at that one kid, his dad must be a janitor, how else would his hair be that white!” Another commented. 

Hollow growled. 

“Me and my friends are a little bored,” The leader said. “Care to give us a little fun?” 

“No!” Sar barked. “Now leave.” 

The older kid blinked and stared at Sar, his grin going flat for a moment before returning. 

“My, my, this runt’s got guts.” He said. “I think this will be a lot of fun.” 

The other older kids all grunted in agreement. He reached his hand to go grab Sar by the shirt collar, but was denied when Hollow reached and grabbed his far larger wrist with his hand, glaring at the kid now labeled as a bully with eyes just nearly glowing blue. 

“Woah, looks like someone really feisty.” 

Hollow position himself between the two groups.

 

Chara was heading towards the slide when they noticed something hair rasing. A groups of four kids, either very old middle schooler of even high schooler, walked over to a group of kids, Hollow among them. The younger kids were split evenly between humans and monsters. After an exchange of words Chara couldn’t here, and the presumed leader reaching for a kid, Hollow inserted himself between the two groups. 

“We need to go get Frisk.” Asriel hissed into their ear. 

“No, not enough time.” Chara countered, and ran towards the two groups.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It looks like than one bully from Frisk's school isn't that least of 'em. At least Chara's there to help.


	63. Chapter 63

With the hardest parts, collecting the genetics, over, next came the tedious part. Forming the ‘womb’. Gaster spent the better part of an hour weaving magic to create the foundation of the barrier spell that would house the soul and it’s developing body. A second hour was spent finish and perfecting the spell so that it would meet the child’s biological needs for the next several months. Sans found the entire process fascinating. He knew in theory how monsters, and to an extent humans, reproduced- he did receive the talk after all. 

This was very different. Not only in how the child would be conceived, but in all other cases the soul and body developed in tandem. This soul was very developed, it was somewhat aware of the world around it after all. There was a chance, a very likely one, that the soul would halt in development until its' body had caught up. Finally, Gaster’s work came to a finish. He held a sphere of purple magic up for his son to see. 

“Now for the easy, and possibly very flashy part." He said. 

As soon as the blood and marrow were placed into the magic, the spell went to work combining the two together to great the starting cells of a new body. Manifesting his soul, Gaster coaxed the little soul out. 

“I need to to go into the barrier now, I promise it’s safe.” 

The green and red heart unhesitantly did as it was asked, the connection between parent soul and child soul severing as it entered into the sphere. The room was flooded with bright light, just as Gaster had warned around. Sans had to shield his eye sockets because it was so bright. When the light faded, the barrier was nowhere in sight and Gaster was on the ground as if he’d fallen backwards. 

“Gees, you said things might get a bit flashy, but still.” Sans said, blinking a few times. “So, where’s the soul?” 

“Probably in the same place Hollow’s had ended up.” His father said. 

Gaster carefully grabbed the edge of his sweater and lifted it up part way. There, inches from his lowest rib and where a human’s stomach might be, was the barrier, soul and all.” 

 

Hollow continued to stand his ground, his eyes never once breaking contact with the leader’s. Now he was between a rock and a hard place. He could either use his magic, and reveal his cross species heritage, or fight handicapped and possibly come out the loser. The older boy might not be Decishur, but if Hollow were to fight him and his friends without magic, there was always the chance he could lose. The fight began when the leader of the older kids lunged to grab him. Hollow managed to twist and get out of the way, but was unable to avoid the boy’s shoulder hitting his back. The blow sent him sprawling into the dirt. Before the older boy could do anything more, Chara tackled him will the full force oof their momentum, body size, and weight. It was enough to send him backwards, but not enough so that he fell. The boy cursed and glared at them. 

“Who invited this red eyed freak?” He spat. 

“I dunno boss, but she’s got a flower on her so she can’t be that tough.” One of the other kids said. 

Ariel hissed as the kid and his rude comment. 

“Get ‘em!” The leader boy growled. 

The group of younger kids huddled back, giving them more space. The smart move.

 

Frisk saw Chara tackle a kid reaching for Hollow, who was sprawled out on the ground. A chill set into they gut as they watched Hollow get up. Jumping from the swings, they landed as gracefully as the momentum would allow and ran towards the conflict.

 

Hollow headbutted a kid going for Chara, and managed to swerve out of the way of another so they’d crash into their buddy. The third managed to give him a glancing blow from a right hook. This disoriented him enough for some of the others to plant a solid kick into his shoulder blades and send him into the dirt as the final kid got back up. Chara was having their own hell of a time the the leader. Despite their difference in size, he’s managed to give them more than a few well-placed blows, their left cheek was swollen and red from one of those blows. The boy had some blood on his sleeve from where Asriel had wrapped a thorny vine around his forearm. Chara spat out a bit of bloody saliva and grinned. 

“Stop it you guys!” Frisk shouted, running over to them. 

When they were close enough, one of the three Hollow was dealing with side-tackled them As another threw Hollow into the ground, dislodging his tail from its' belt-like position around his hips and sending his hat flying off. Chara Looked away and opened their mouth to shout something, but were stopped when the leader's fist collided with their already battered left cheek, sending him to the ground. 

“Geeze, I’d thought you’d be smarter than that.” He said. 

Chara growled and attempted to get back up, but a certain boy’s foot came down hard on their spine and kept them pinned face down into the dirt. Frisk was allowed to get back up, but they obviously didn’t like the position they now found themselves in. 

“Hey, do I know you?” One of the kids asked, staring at them. 

“N-no, I don’t think so.” They said nervously. 

“Wait- I know! You’re the monster ambassador, I’ve seen you on the TV.” They said. 

“So that’s the monster-human ambassador. I feel like I was expecting more.” The leader said. 

He opened his mouth to say something more, but was cut off by his friend behing thrown into him like a sack of flour. Hollow got up, his eyes burning blue beneath his white hair, tail writhing behind him like an angry serpant.


	64. Chapter 64

The older boys were left face to face with a pair of gaster blasters. The two magical weapons reflecting the expression of their owner. For the longest time he said nothing, just glared at the bullies with eyes ablaze with magic. 

“Go, Now!” Hollow growled out. 

The three lackeys wasted no time in getting the hell out of there- one even started crying. The leader Stood his ground, glaring at the younger boy. He wasn’t as easily frightened as his followers. Hollow snapped his ring finger and thumb together, and one of the blasters let out a warning shot. The kid went pale, but he continued to glare at Hollow. The two continued their stare down for a long time. Chara felt somewhat impressed by the kid’s show of resilience, they had to give him points for being so determined to stand his ground. Eventually, the boy did give in. Turning around, he gave them all one last sweeping glare from over his shoulder before fleeing. Hollow wobbled a bit on his feel, but was saved by Sar running to his side and catching him. 

“That. was. AWSOME!” The human child said. “You were so cool, standing up to them like that! All three of you!” 

The young kid looked up at them practically with stars in his eyes. Eventually another kid, the mouse child, approached them, albeit cautiously. They placed a paw glowing with green magic onto Hollow’s shoulder blades. He winced at his, but settled down after a bit. A their child began approaching them slowly, a humanoid slime monster. They hesitantly walked up to Chara and indicated for them to get closer. Chara squatted down, and was surprised by a brush of green healing magic against their swelling cheek. 

“Thanks kid.” They said gently. 

The slime child looked at them and beamed. 

“It a… tail?” Someone else said quietly. 

Another of the human children, with the remain two in toe, had wandered over and was now inspecting Hollow’s tail. They reached forward and grasped the bony appendage with their right hand. Hollow made no indication that this action was uncomfortable for him, but continued watching them with a passive gaze none the less. 

“Is it bone? It looks and feels like bone, but…” They trailed off. 

“Yes, it technically is bone, my parent is a skeleton.” Hollow said with a small smile. 

One of the two remaining kid perked up at that. 

“Skeleton? Does that mean you know Papyrus?” They asked. 

Chara, Frisk, and Hollow nodded together. They began squealing. 

“Oh! I’ve always wanted to meet him- he’s always seemed like such a cool dude, but I’ve been so scared because what if he doesn’t like me or I do something that might offend him or what if-“ 

Chara quietly groaned as Frisk giggled softly. Hollow just looked at the child with eyes blown wide open, whether because be was startled by the sudden influx of words from the kid or because he agreed was anyone’s guess.

 

“Damnitdamnit, Damn it!” Fenaj cursed loudly. 

His right fist colloded full force with the back allys’ brick wall, yet didn’t flinch. Rage boiled over and left him blind to anything that wasn’t his own hate. 

“I’ll show that white haired brat, no one makes a fool of me like that!” He growled. 

“This ‘white haired brat’ wouldn't happen to be a small child with non-human features?” A stranger's voice asked. 

Fenaj spun around to find the siloet of a person standing at the entrance to the ally. He snarled and glowered at the newcomer. 

“So what if they did?” He asked, challenge dripping from his tone of voice. 

“Then I know the child, and am not particularly fond of him either.” The stranger replied in a cheery voice that grated on his nerves. 

“And? You here to mock me for losing to the brat?!” He demanded. 

“No, no, I’m simply here to make you an offer.” They responded still as calm as before. “As I said before, I despise that brat as well, but first,” 

The strange stepped forward, becoming more than just a siloet. They revealed themselves to be a human, with crimson eyes the same color as one of the brats’ friends had been. His(?) mouth was pulled into a smirk at one corner, it was impossible to tell how long his hair was, but it looked to be pulled up in the back. The most noticeable thing about him, other than his eyes, was the fact he wore some sort of armor, and had a sword hanging off his right hip. The man had an air about him that made the hairs on the back of his neck stand up, this person was dangerous. 

“What is your opinion on monsters?” The stranger asked coolly. 

Fenaj crinkled his brow. It was an odd question after all. 

“They were better off under that mountain of theirs.” He answered. 

The stranger’s smirk turned into a teeth exposing smile. 

“Good, now then, let me make you that offer.”

 

Ether shuddered. Something somewhere felt off in a bad way, like some random dude just sold his soul to the devil. 

“Welp there goes my happy afternoon.” She thought. 

The uneasy feeling persisted, making her feel just that little bit more on edge. The fact it was persisting this long made her feel unsettled, the fact it was happening at all did too. 

“You alright?” 

Ether rarely jumped like a cat in the proximity of a cucumber. 

“Crist, Irina! Give me a little more warning next time.” She snapped. 

The off-duty diplomat held her hands up. 

“Alright, sorry.” She said. 

Ether sighed. “Sorry, some dumb bad feel just ruined the afternoon, probably even the rest of the day, for me.” 

Irina walked up to her girlfriend and placed a hand on her shoulder. 

“How bad?” She asked. 

“Some random dude selling his soul to satan level of bad.” Ether answered. 

“The last time you got a bad feeling lime that, some random crazy set out old high school on fire. On a school day.” 

“I know, I’m… I’m scared, I’m positive this time isn’t going to be arson."


	65. Chapter 65

The three returned to Toriel’s house still very bumped and bruised, but thanks to the healing they had received earlier, it wasn’t as bad. That didn’t stop Sans and Gaster from fussing over them the moment the two saw them, or preventing Toriel from doing the same. 

“Mooom!” Chara whined. “I’m fine, all I need is some ice.” 

“Nonsense my child, now hold still.” Toriel gently chided as she continued applying green magic to their swollen cheek. 

“Welp, I think you should be alright now, you weren’t dinged up that badly.” Sans said, giving Frisk a final check over. 

“I will be, Hollow and Chara were the ones that got knocked around the most, I just got tackled to the ground.” They agreed. 

Hollow was wriggling and squirming is his parent’s grasp as Gaster attempted to heal the cracks in his exo-bones. Emphases on attempted. Because of all his moving around, Gaster wasn’t able to do much in the relm of healing. 

“Hollow, please, stop struggling.” The elder skeleton pleaded. 

“No, it hurts!” Hollow complained. 

“I know it hurts, but that’s because you’re wiggling around and not letting me heal you.” 

The remaining five watched on, giving Gaster looks of pity or sympathy as his youngest son continued to resist. 

 

“Hey punks! We’re here!” Undyn called, opening the door. 

Papyrus and Alphys follow close behind. They came to find a house mostly silent, save for the sounds of shouting. Kids shouting to be exact. Undyn gave the tall skeleton a questioning look, and received a shrug in response. The commotion was coming from the kitchen, so the three headed over in that direction. 

They stumbled upon Gaster and Toriel restraining a struggling Hollow as both adults worked to heal small cracks in the boys arms, legs, tail, and crest. Chara was off to one side drinking soda with a blank expression. Frisk was not in the room. 

 

“Fenaj!” 

Fenaj turned around to see his fiends, or lackeys really, run over to him. He kept his glance passive and his eyes neutral. 

“Fenaj, we’re so glad to see you’re okay!” The lanky brunet, Gary, said. 

The two others, Javmi and Borous, nodded in suit. 

“Yeah, and sorry we ran.” Borous added. “We know how resolved you can be.” 

Fenaj smiled and shrugged. 

“Heh, it’s fine, we hadn’t really gone up against a monster before, and what that kid did was really unexpected.” He said. “So don’t worry about it, okay?” 

The three nodded, though Gary still looked a bit guilty. 

“Well, I have some things to take care of, see ‘ya guys on Monday.” Fenaj said. 

“Okay,” Javmi replied. 

“Quite the little band you have there,” Deci commented as soon as the other three were long gone. 

Fenaj regarded him with a pissed look. 

“Now, now, I didn’t meant that in a bad way.” 

Fenaj snarled, but kept his trap shut. Something about the older man rubbed him the wrong way, but at the same time made him weary of him all the same. Deci was bad news at his core, but the younger youth didn’t care. 

“Let’s speed our travel time up.” Deci said suddenly. 

He guided his ‘partner’ to an allyway, when the two entered, they emerged into an open clearing that was nothing but grass in sight. 

“Woah, what did you do?” 

“I saved us time, now for your first session.” 

Deci walked over and took a spot opposet from Fenaj. 

“Let’s see what you are capable of.” 

Before the younger could fully register what was happening, the world around them blinked away as a battlefield of monochrome black and white arose. His soul was out now, a heart that was neither orange nor red, but instead an autumn color in between. 

“Hmn, that’s a color I haven’t seen yet.” Deci noted aloud. “This should prove to be interesting, no?” 

Fenaj studied his soul a moment long, then looked back at Deci. He had no visible soul. 

“What the-“ 

“Alright, now lets find out how magically inept you are.” Deci said. “Now go on and show me what I’m working with.” 

Fenaj gave him a puzzled look. 

“Um, what exactly am I supposed to do? That was kinda vague.” 

“Focus you mind and look for a spark of some sort, only you know what you are looking for.” 

Sighing, Fenaj cupped his soul and began focusing. He could feel Deci’s gaze on him intently, stripping him nearly entirely bare before him. Eventually he found something. A spark of some sort. It felt odd, foreign and old, maybe even strange. Heat blossomed above his hands, and he was taken aback to find red fire crackling over his palms. 

“Strong magic, you have potentially, and a lot of it.” Deci said, smiling. 

 

“Dum du dum dum…! Just a minute- I need to finish watering these flower.” 

“…Okay, now how may I help you?” Asgore asked turning around. 

Standing at the entrance to the garden was an ageing man, highlights of silver stark against his black hair. He was dressed somewhat casually, if a lilac button up and black dress pants counted as somewhat causal. 

“Greeting your Majesty, I am Yevis van Highwater.” The man said. “We spoke on the phone earlier.” 

“Oh, yes!” Asgore exclaimed as things fell into place. “You were the one who wished to speak about education, correct?” 

Highwater nodded, taking a seat at the table. “Yes, there is much on the subject I wish to discuss with you.” 

Asgore smiled and set his watering can down. 

“Would you care for a cup of tea?” The king of monsters ask. 

Highwater was taken aback by the question. “Yes. Tea would be nice.” He said. 

He waited patiently as the giant boss monster went about preparing them a bot of tea, a blend of jasmine and something he didn’t recognize by the smell. Asgore sat down across from him, setting down the cups of the steaming drink, and placed the pot in the center for easy access on both sides.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, what do you think of our newest arrivals?


	66. Chapter 66

Highwater kept his hands on his cup, letting the warmth of the drink seek into his flesh from the ceramic container. Even after taking a drink of the tea, he still didn’t recognize what the jasmine had been blended with. He made a mental note to ask about that later. 

“So,” Asgore began. “Shal we begin our talk?” 

Highwater nodded, and took another drink from his cup. 

“Yes, I’ll cut out the needless small talk; I believe it would be a good idea to include classes on magic withing the public school system.” The elder human said. 

Asgore raised an eyebrow, surprised by his guest’s topic of discussion. 

“Magic has for the longest time existed withing the realm of fantasy- something that only existed withing myth and fiction. Now that monsters once more dwell on the surface, that is no longer the case, magic is now a part of reality.” Highwater continue. 

“We humans might not understand magic as anything more that fiction turned fact, but given in the past how many times humans with magical abilities and powers have been reported, I doubt magic is gone from our gene pools entirely. No,It has simply become dormant for the longest time. Now it seems to have resurfaced. More and more humans are showing magic potential, both adults and children alike.” 

Highwater stared into his cup for a moment, composing what to say next and how best to put it. 

“My granddaughter and daughter have both shown signs of having magic, though the former shows it more than the later. As of right now, only monster have any such knowledge on the subject of magic, and how to control it.” 

Asgore took another sip of tea, letting the silence continue on for a moment. He thank took a glance of Highwaters hands. No ring. 

“A widow perhaps?” He wondered. 

“It sounds like the classes you have in mind are about teaching students how to control and utilize their magic, correct?” The king of monsters asked. 

Highwater nodded. “Yes, after all untamed magic sounds like a frightening thing when you think deeply about it, wouldn’t you agree?” 

Asgore did agree, especially if that untamed magic was from a human, who souls did allow them quite a bit of power. 

“The teachers would be monsters,” Highwater continued. “Besides the obvious of your kind living with magic for far longer then my kind has, undoubtedly monster are spent that time teaching each coming generation how to control their powers, correct?” Asgore nodded. “You sound as if you’ve thought long and hard on this subject, and that you care about your grandaughter enough for want her to grow up embracing her abilities.” “Yes, she isn’t even halfway through elementary school either, I want her to learn how to control her powers, as do I wish the same for my daughter, but she, Winny, she’s showing her potential early, and so chaotically, her mother has some semblance of control that I don’t worry as much.” There was something more, another reason why Highwater was so pressed to get his child and grandchild the tutorage that required. He did have an inkling of what this unspoken reason might be. “I wonder…” He thought. But he didn’t press.

 

“Is it true that you are in fact a robot with a soul?” The reporter woman asked. 

“Yes Darling, of corse it’s true.” Mettaton replied with his usual charisma. 

“So then, where did Dr. Alphys get said soul? Did she make it herself, or acquire it from another source?” 

Mettaton locked up. In all his time as a star, not a single person question his existence. Particularly where his soul had come from. His past was something he didn’t want to discuss with anyone, let alone a reporter. There were things he’d rather keep buried, not because they were bad things per say, but because they were deeply personal things that he personally didn’t want to recall. 

“Unfortunately, as smart as she is, Alphys didn’t creat my soul.” Mettaton answered. 

The woman raised a sculpted eyebrow and jotted some notes down. 

“Then would it be alight to ask where she did acquire it? If I’m not mistaken, monster souls vanish after death.” She pressed. 

If robots could sweat, he’d have formed a small lake by now. 

“No, I don’t wish to elaborate. A star’s got to have at least one or two secrets to his name after all.” Mettaton said finally. The woman gave him a look, she knew he was bullshitting her. Thankfully she didn’t press on. 

“Alright then, care to talk a bit about your upcoming performance?” 

“Yes, I’d love to.”

 

“Yevis Highwater? Yeah I know him.” Irina said into the phone’s receiver. “Why do you asked?” 

Ether looked at her girlfriend, who mouthed ‘Asgore’ before going back to her conversation. She made a silent ‘Oh’ in response. 

"Yeah, he is a widow, his wife died a few years ago, really sudden too, it was the first time I really got to see the guy emote.” 

“He’s a good man, really cares about his family.” 

“Did he now, why am I not surprised.” 

“Mhm, mhm, gotcha’. See you later.” 

Irina set her phone down and returned to her spot next to Ether on the couch. 

“Highwater visited Asgore not too long ago, they talked about education.” Irina explained. 

“Highwater as in the old man who I swear only blinks when your looking at him?” 

“Ether! Rude. He isn’t that old.” 

“But he’s already a grandfather, and almost 60.” 

“And I’m an unmarried woman who’s almost 30, but you don’t hear people calling me an old cat lady.” 

“Because we don’t have a cat.” 

“Still!” 

“And besides, 30 isn’t that old, it’s a lot younger than 60.” 

“Tell that to the teenagers.”

 

Human souls had a certain habit of persisting for a very long time. Especially if they’ve been maintained properly. Nor do they vanish. If a soul hasn’t shattered, then it is still persisting. Something monsters didn’t realize, why else would they have forgotten about 6 of them.


	67. Chapter 67

Gaster quickly found he was very glad he wouldn’t have work for the next several months. Or lab work at least. His fourth child was proving to be the most hellish of them yet, in the pre-birth department. Hollow hadn’t be easy to carry, but at least his soul trait was integrity, not out right determination. If the occasional bout of ‘morning’ sickness he’d suffered under his third child seemed bad, then this one was on an entirely separate level of bad. Grillby found his partner’s suffering, at least the portion where the skeleton was huddled up against the elemental as close as he could. Seeking what little relief he could in the other’s body of literal fire and the warmth it entailed. 

“It that bad?” Grillby asked softly. 

“Dear, the only reason I’m not bent over a toilet is because there’s nothing from me to vomit back up, thankfully.” Gaster gripped in reply. “And I’m not sure if it’s because of the determination or not.” 

Grillby hummed in response. 

“So, have you thought about possibly names yet?” The elemental asked. 

“A little,” Gaster answered. “If they are a girl, either Clarity or Serenity. I haven’t decided on a name for if it’s a boy or undecided.” 

“Those are both good names, very fitting for a soul with the trait of kindness.” Grillby mused. 

“Now, I don’t mean to create an elephant in the room, but I have to ask, what do you plan on doing as far as work goes?” The fire monster asked. “I know it will take some time to repair the lab, but I’m pretty sure that will happen before your due date, right?” 

“That it correct.” Gaster admitted. “I plan on talking to Mr. Eldrick when the time comes- I hold hope that he will be understanding of my situation. He did come across as the open-minded type.

“I can still work, as soon as certain things settle down, but that should happen by the time the lab is repaired. I might not be able to do certain things because of the risk to my unborn child, but that wouldn’t prevent me from doing work.” 

Both mulled over that in silence for a while, thinking over Gaster’s words. 

“But,” Grillby said, ending the silence. “You would still have to take maternity leave after they’re born, correct?” 

Gaster nodded. “Yes, both for the potentially strenuous nature, and the fact I will be left with a newborn in the end, a newborn that will require my attention and care from several weeks.”

 

Fenaj yelped as he fell back onto his butt, narrowly avoiding being cut in two. 

“Hey, that nearly sliced me in half!” He yelled. 

Deci just raised an eyebrow. “but it didn’t.” The other pointed out.

Fenaj grumbled things under his breath has he got back up and dusted himself off. “think we can do that agan, just without the risk of me getting cut in two?” He asked. 

Deci yealled, noddding. Sheathing his blade, the older man summoned a replica made of orange and blue magic. 

“This shoul be less risky, now go again.” 

The younger grunted in response. This time he managed to throw up a barrier that survived the inital blow, but shattered quickly there after. Deci smiled.He jumped back as jest of magic fire erupted from the earth beneath him, and continued to dance away from the few stray fireballs that followed. Beads of sweat were running down Fenaj’s face, breath coming out in just brearly adible intervuls in inhale and exhale. 

“Alright, you’ve earned a water break.” Deci said. 

Fenaj groaned and colapsed. “Thank god.” He cried to the hevens. 

Deci chuckled and tossed him his water bottle, which the younger drained quickly. Their little water break lasted a full 5 minuts, in that time Fenaj managed to refill his bottle, then drain it down to half full. Deci didn’t drink any water. 

“You have the basics of standard attack magic down, and in such a short period of time, I’m impressed.” Deci said. 

“So now you’re going to teach me something new?” Fenaj asked. 

“Yes, after I tell you about the other forms of magic.” Deci said. “You alrwady know and understand white migic, the standard and most basic form of attack magic. Next there is blue and orange magic. Both are ore advanced froms of magic with different affects; blue magic only harms a moving oponets, where as orange only affects stationary ones. There is also status magic, but I’ll cover that once you’ve got blue and orange attacks down.” 

Fenaj nodded, it made sense. “So, do we start with one over the other, or…” 

Deci’s smile morphed into a chilling grin. “I think you know the answer to that.”

 

Yevis arrived home expecting it to be empty. He was more than a little surprised to find a certain small one rush at him at bullet speed. 

“Grampa!” a certain little girl cried as she raised her arms up in demand to be held. 

Yevis complied, lifting his granddaughter up by the armpits and letting her rest on an arm. 

“Greetings Winny, if you here, than you mom must be as well.” He said. 

She nodded. “And daddy too!” She added, eyes sparkling. 

“Heh, alright them, let’s go find them.” 

He found his daughter and son-in-law sitting in the living from. 

“I heard you both were here, but seeing is believing.” Yevis said. “Hello Elena, Thomas.” 

Both of the younger adults nodded. 

“Hey Dad, we decided to come home early to see how that talk with the king of monster’s went.” He daughter replied. 

Thomas nodded in agreement, and got up.He reached own to relive his father-in-law of their youngest member. 

“You talked with the monster king! So cool!” Winny said. “What’s he like?” 

Yevis waited until he sat down to answer. 

“King Asgore and I had a pleasant discussion, he offered me this wonderful blend of tea before hand.” Looking and his grandchild, he smiled. “He and I decided to make plans for an evening dinner, I hope you all don’t mind.” 

Thomas and Elena shook their head. 

“No dad, that’s fine, he sounds like a nice person.”


	68. Chapter 68

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Here begins that start of one of many PTAtale parts.

“Dad, you don’t have to come. Some of the mom’s there can be really nasty.” Sans said. 

“All the more reason to go,” Gaster replied. “If I plan on sending Hollow there for schooling, then wouldn’t it be best to prepare myself for the worst of the PTA beforehand?” 

Sans made a gesture to say something more, but paused. His father had a point. Getting used to Linda and her little band of hell raisers before he was ‘required’ to attend the PTA meeting was a good idea. But the idea still left a negative chill in the pit of his bones. Maybe it was irrational(it probably was), but the thought of his dad, burdened with carrying his unborn sibling, interacting with people who made him seriously question whether or not they actually had souls, it rubbed him the wrong way. Still, he knew that there was no solid reason he had to keep the older skeleton from joining him. 

So he sighed, groaned, and yielded before reason. 

“We both know I have no solid argument to stop you, so I surrender.” Sans sighed, holding his hands up to further drive his point. 

Gaster smiled, but was kind enough to not say anything more. 

“Alright them, shall we get going?” The elder skeleton asked instead. 

“Sure, let me grab something real quick first.” Sans answered, teleporting into the kitchen. 

Grabbing a decent sized back of chisps, the short skeleton teleported to his car next, and found his father waiting patiently by the front passenger door. Sans tossed him the chisps before unlocking the car and pileing in. Gaster have him a raised brow ridge. 

“I thought Toriel said there would be food provided?” 

“There are, but everyone knows not to eat it, ‘specally Linda’s lemon bars from hell’s dump.” Sans explained. “Those abominations are somehow worse that Pap’s spaghetti.” 

Gaster didn’t say anything more, his face scrunched up with concentration as he mulled over that thought.

The school was not that far away, they could have walked and still arrived on time. But Sans liked being early to these meeting, especially tonight now that his dad had decided to join, but was too lazy to leave at a different time. Gaster toyed with the edge of the chisp bag, but didn’t eat any. Though he did stare at the bag intently. A light dusting of purple had colored the elder’s cheeks. As they were approaching the parking lot, the destination in question well withing their sights, Gaster pressed a hand to his mouth. There was no risk of anything coming up, so Sans continued driving as per usual, but his did give his father a passing glance. The older skeleton looked none too happy about his new situation. 

“Okay, now THAT was because of their determination.” He muttered aloud, probably as a verbal mental note. 

The car came to a halt in one of the parking spots closest to the entrance. The two piled out, Gaster most noticeably slower than his son.

The PTA room had currently been inhabited by only a handful of teachers, only two being monsters. A few looked the door’s way when it opened and Sans, along with a newly composed Gaster, entered. 

“Oh hi Sans, who’s that with you?” A round and freckled human teacher asked. The masked monster next to her, who she’d been previously talking with, nodded and indicated towards Gaster. 

“This is my Dad.” Sans answered with one eye socket closed. 

Gaster nodded and offered the woman a hand. “Greeting, I’m Dr.W.D Gaster.” He greeted. 

The woman took to hand. 

“So, I don’t suppose you’re here because Frisk is a student, correct?” The monster teacher asked. 

Gaster nodded his head. “I’m contemplating enrolling my youngest son here next year, and decided it would be a good idea to accompany my son to a PTA meeting before then.” 

“Oh, A third child, Sans never mentioned he and Papyrus had another sibling.” The monster teacher said. “Actually, I don’t remember either of the two ever talking about you either.” 

“Unsurprising, because of a lab accident I’ve been unable to reenter their lives until very recently, so it wasn’t until a short while ago that learned of my youngest’s existence.” Gaster explained. “I had been worried Sans and Papyrus wouldn’t take well to having a younger sibling, but that have taken quite the shine to him, thankfully.”

Sans hummed as the three continued talking. Some of it was about Hollow, Gaster never revealed his youngest’s cross-species heritage. The shorter skeleton walked over to the table and sat down on one of the folding chairs closer to the head. There was plenty of time before the meeting was going to begin, so Sans opted to take a cat nap until then.

 

Toriel silently tapped the opposite end of her pen against her desk as she read over a sheet of math problems. She’d make the incorrect ones and jot down the correct answer to the equation as she found the mistakes. When one sheet was done, she’d move on to the next. She glanced at the clock at the front of the room, ruefully noting that the PTA meeting would begin in another 10 minutes. Eve if she finished grading the math sheet within that time, there was still other work to be done, other subjects of homework to grade, school work to review.

She’d peacefully resigned herself to her fate an hour ago, but that didn’t mean she couldn’t feel regretful nor not being able to attend. She was well aware of how certain parents, and teacher for that matter, could be, and that she was seemingly on only one who could keep people from resorting to brash language and name calling, especially between Sans and Linda. Well, if she was needed, then the vice principal knew where her room was. Something began nagging at her at the thought of Sans, like she’d forgotten something he’d said to her.

“Hmm, well whatever it was shouldn’t be that important, I’d remember it it was.”


	69. Chapter 69

“I personally don’t have any children of my own, so I can’t really say.” Mrs. Flitcher said, scratching her freckled cheek in embracement. “I’m sorry.” 

“No, no, It’s quite alright!” Veronica responded. “You have nothing to be sorry about.” The masked monster insisted. 

Gaster hummed in agreement. 

The PTA meeting hadn’t started yet, most of the parents were still missing, as well as a few teachers. Still, so far everyone was kind and very friendly. The teachers and attending staff were all happy to answer any question he might have, and explain something should he not understand. All of the teachers were human, and much of the faculty too, but that was because only a low percentage of monsters had been evaluated to work. At least there were plenty of monster students. 

“You know, my son was very against me coming here, something about how some of the parents here could be problematic.” Gaster said. 

“He’s probably referring to Linda and her little band of friends.” Mrs. Flitcher sighed. “She a very… ‘conservative’ woman. She’s been like that even before monsters started enrolling, and now her attitude's reached a whole new level.” 

“Yes, she and Sans never seem to get along, no that I blame him, she’s a very grating person.” Veronica agreed. 

The three continued their idle chit chat, like wives at the market. Slowly at first, parents began to shuffle in, eventually forcing them to takes seats at the table. Gaster left the chisps with his napping son, he’d hold off on eating them after he’d tried some of the other parents cooking. Right on the dot, the door swung open and in marched a pack of five ladies. The leader was a not quite middle-aged woman with hair so blond he doubted it was natural. She was neither short nor tall, instead, he placed her somewhere in between. The woman placed a tray onto the counter, alongside whatever else the other parents brought, then took a seat near the head of the table. She gave sans a hawk-eyed glare before turning her attention to the vice principal. The vice principal was a grandmotherly middle-aged woman with black hair that stubbornly refused to give into the growing streaks of gray. 

“Alright then, it seems everyone who’s attending this weeks' meeting is here, let’s start off tonight with the culture parade.” She said. 

“We’re still planning on doing that?” A petite woman with mouse brown hair squeaked. “None of the other elementary school are doing it anymore.” 

“I know,” The vice principal said. “That’s why this year’s parade is going to be local.” 

“Would it be alright is we monsters join in?” A rabbit woman asked from near the end. 

“Oh why yes, of corse!” The vice principal replied cheerfully. “The parade is for all students, monster and human.” 

“I’d certainly love to see the boards the monster children come up with.” A male teacher replied. “And I think the other teacher will agree with me on that.” 

His comment was followed by soft murmurs from people Gaster assumed were other teachers. The blond woman muttered something under her breath. 

“Hey, what type of culture board will Frisk make?” A parent asked Sans. “One on human or monster culture?” 

The shorter skeleton shrugged. “If I were to take a guess, they’d do one on both cultures.” 

“Heh, that’s be a sight to see.” 

“Alright then, next up is about shots, I’ll let the school nurse take it from here.” 

“Thank you,” A lanky young woman with a deceptively deep voice and dark skin said, getting up. “I’ve noticed that several kids aren’t getting important shots, I’m not going to say names, but the school requires that all students keep on top of that, at least the human one anyway. If there are financial problems involved, then please come and talk to me, the health of your children is my concern after all.” 

“But what if we don’t want to risk our kids health!” The blond woman pitched in. 

The nurse sighed. 

“Linda, please don’t start-“ 

“Don’t you ‘Linda, please’ me young man! I don’t want my kids getting a mental illness, or worse, autism!” 

The school nurse flushed. Linda had struck a nerve. 

“I’m not a man!” She spat back. “And shot do not cause mental illness, nor do they cause autism!” 

“This is not going to end well.” Gaster mused. 

“Linda, aren’t you-“ 

“That’s not what you came to this school as, and don’t give me that tranny crap, You’re Micheal Hugesman, the school nurse who is a man,” Lida said with full spite. “And I have ready man scientific articles on the matter, they all conclude that shot can, in fact, give your child a mental illness.” 

“Why you-“ 

“Um, excuse me.” Gaster piped in, drawing the pair's smoldering gaze to him. 

“Wait, who are you?!” Linda demanded. “You aren’t a parent or a teacher.” 

Gaster ignored her. 

“What are the purpose of shots? He asked the nurse. “As you can see, I’m not exactly a part of the human health system.” 

The woman calmed down a bit, see that he was a skeleton. 

“Yeah, sure, alright. Shot’s are given to children to protect them from deadly diseases such as smallpox. There are also flu shots which are to help with the yearly strain of influenza during the winter, but that’s for all ages, but it isn’t that much different from a regular immunization shot.” 

Gaster nodded. “And the shots are to help the body’s natural immune system, correct?” 

She nodded. “Yeah.” 

“Then I don’t see how they could cause neurological divergence, and even is they could, is a mental illness really that big of a problem? I’ve worked with monsters who have what one might called a ‘mental illness’, and they haven’t been any different from any of my other co-workers.” Gaster pointed out. 

“Also, Linda was it? While she might have a deeper voice than most, I don’t see how the school’s nurse is not a woman.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Linda's going to be a tricky character to write, her bigoted mindset isn't something I have or completely understand.


End file.
